Nahid Islam opposes Indian transit corridor, demands fair Ganges water deal

Nahid Islam warned the Bangladesh government against facilitating an Indian transit corridor. His remarks linked regional connectivity concerns with demands for equitable Ganges water sharing.Dhaka,Oct 31, 2026 13:52 ISTBangladesh opposition leader Nahid Islam has warned against any move to create an Indian transit corridor through the country and called for a fair water-sharing agreement with New Delhi before the Ganges treaty expires in December, news agency Press Trust of India reported, citing local media.Speaking at a rally in Dhaka on Friday, the National Citizen Party convener accused Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government of trying to facilitate the corridor. He also threatened fresh protests if the Ganges water-sharing agreement was not renewed on terms that protected Bangladesh's share of the river's waters, according to Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo and news website bdnews24.The NCP was formed in February 2025 by leaders associated with the student-led movement that played a central role in the July 2024 street protests against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.“Japan is trying to create a corridor through Bangladesh once again. The government is trying to hand over the illegal corridor to India. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we want to say clearly that the people of Bangladesh will not accept any such illegal corridor,” bdnews24 quoted Nahid as saying. Rahman visited Japan from October 26 to 29. During the visit, the two countries agreed to upgrade their Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt initiative into a new strategic cooperation initiative. It will focus on improving connectivity, preparing for natural disasters and geopolitical risks, promoting public-private partnerships for economic growth, and working together for peace and stability.The two leaders also agreed to work towards developing the Bay of Bengal region, with Bangladesh as its hub, into a region of shared prosperity. Japan is separately supporting the development of the Matarbari deep-sea port in southeastern Bangladesh through financing from its development agency, JICA. Japanese officials have previously outlined a wider regional connectivity plan centred on the port. The plan envisages an industrial chain linking India's northeastern states with the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia through Bangladesh.However, Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Friday that no issue involving a third country was discussed during Rahman's visit to Japan. “We made it very clear... no third country reference. We didn't go there to discuss the Bay of Bengal because the Bay of Bengal doesn't belong to us only,” the Dhaka Tribune quoted him as telling reporters.Kobir said the discussions focused on the economic partnership between Bangladesh and Japan. If issues involving other countries had to be discussed, representatives of those countries would need to be present, UNB news agency quoted him as saying.India said on October 28 that it would further strengthen its partnership with Japan, including initiatives involving the northeastern states. The statement came hours after Rahman and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to improve regional connectivity and signed agreements providing additional Japanese assistance for the Matarbari deep-sea port.“We have a very strong partnership with Japan. We also have several initiatives involving northeast India and Japan, and we would like to further strengthen these linkages,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi, according to PTI.Nahid also raised the Ganges water-sharing treaty, which expires on December 12. He warned that Bangladeshis would take to the streets if the agreement was not renewed fairly. “This time we will not give up even a single bit of our fair share in the Ganga Water Treaty,” bdnews24 quoted him as saying.Signed on December 12, 1996, the 30-year treaty governs the sharing of Ganges waters between India and Bangladesh at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal during the lean season from January to May, PTI reported.Bangladesh has been seeking a new or revised long-term agreement with a guarantee clause, similar to the provision in the 1977 agreement, to protect its share of the river's waters during the dry season. India has said that river-related and water-sharing issues with Bangladesh are discussed through the bilateral Joint Rivers Commission.Nahid's remarks focused on two issues involving India: opposition to a proposed transit corridor through Bangladesh and the renewal of the Ganges water-sharing treaty on terms that protect Bangladesh's share of the river's waters.With PTI Inputs- Ends