Bangladesh proposes regional integration with India’s Seven Sisters

Bangladesh: Nobel Peace Prize winner and Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus has advocated for a unified economic strategy that includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and India’s seven northeastern states.

During talks with the Deputy Speaker of Nepal’s House of Representatives, Yunus emphasised cooperation in hydropower, healthcare, and transport infrastructure as vital to regional development.

Highlighting the Bangladesh-Nepal-India Tripartite Power Sales Agreement, which enables Nepal to export 40MW of hydropower to Bangladesh through India, Yunus said the collaboration exemplifies the region’s potential. He also announced that a 1,000-bed hospital in Rangpur, Bangladesh, would be open to patients from Nepal and Bhutan, promoting “regional health security.”

Yunus remarked, “There should be an integrated economic plan for Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Seven Sisters,” underscoring the strategic importance of India’s landlocked Northeast.

Previously, during a visit to China, Yunus had told Chinese officials that the Seven Sisters have no direct access to the sea, making Bangladesh their “only guardian of the ocean.” This appeal for deeper Chinese economic involvement had drawn criticism from Indian economist Sanjeev Sanyal, who questioned the relevance of India’s internal geography in international forums.

The comments by Yunus have reignited discussions on regional connectivity, sovereignty sensitivities, and India’s strategic Northeast.