KATHMANDU, Oct 19: Bangladeshi Minister for Commerce Tofail Ahmed has expressed concern over the blockade aimed at Nepal, which the minister believes is no longer a bilateral issue with India as it might have adverse effect on the regional economy, reported a leading Indian newspaper on Monday.
According to The Hindu, Minister Ahmed has said the blockade has been hurting Nepal’s economy and it should end at the earliest.
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Ahmed noted that Bangladesh has been tracking developments but has so far avoided commenting, reads the news report, adding that making an exception in this case he told The Hindu that such blockades are not in the spirit of regional cooperation in South Asia.“In June this year, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal agreed to create the framework for the BBIN transport network. BBIN is an unprecedented step that we took aiming at shared prosperity in South Asia.
BBIN was meant to facilitate movement of commercial vehicles across the borders of Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Such blockades hit at agreements like BBIN,” the newspaper quoted Ahmed as saying.
Ahmed, however, said he is not in favor of digging up any dispute between Nepal and India but feels that such blockades set a negative precedent in this age of globalization and free trade agreements.
“We do not have massive bilateral trade with Nepal. But Bangladeshi truck owners, ports and companies might also get affected negatively if the blockade continues against Nepal. We hope the blockade is temporary and a solution will be found soon,” he said, explaining that his government seeks an end to such obstructions and blockades in the South Asian region so that common people are spared hardships.
