Guwahati, May 13: Nobel Laureate and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has renewed his call for deeper regional economic integration among Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and India’s landlocked northeastern states, in what is emerging as a consistent vision for a more connected and cooperative South Asia.
Speaking on Monday during a courtesy call by Indira Rana, Deputy Speaker of Nepal’s Federal Parliament at Dhaka, Professor Yunus underscored the untapped potential of cross-border collaboration—particularly in hydropower, healthcare, and road connectivity. Rana is currently visiting Bangladesh for attending an event organized by the Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka.
A few months ago, Yunus drew attention to a geographical and developmental paradox: despite their resource wealth and strategic location, the “Seven Sisters” of Northeast India remain landlocked, often economically isolated from the rest of South Asia. “The landlocked nature of the Northeast shouldn’t mean it is opportunity-locked,” Yunus had said then, highlighting the urgency of regional inclusion.
Now, he is giving that vision more clarity.
“There should be an integrated economic plan for Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Seven Sisters,” he reiterated on May 12. “We have more to gain together than apart.”
Central to the discussion was energy cooperation, especially hydropower. Yunus pointed to the Bangladesh-Nepal-India Tripartite Power Sales Agreement signed last October, under which Bangladesh will import 40 MW of hydropower from Nepal using Indian transmission lines. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We must think bigger.”
Deputy Speaker Rana echoed the sentiment. “We’re serious about strengthening our economic partnership and boosting people-to-people connections,” she said, noting the more than 2,700 Nepali students currently enrolled in Bangladeshi institutions, particularly medical colleges.
Yunus went further to suggest that Bangladesh’s upcoming 1,000-bed hospital in Rangpur would be open to patients from Nepal and Bhutan as well. “We believe in regional health security and shared prosperity,” he said, proposing a future where medical and educational hubs serve a broader South Asian community.
Beyond health and energy, the need for seamless connectivity emerged as a recurring theme. “Direct road links between our countries can transform trade and mobility,” Yunus said, reviving calls for infrastructure that physically connects South Asia’s highlands to its coastlines.
The meeting was attended by Ghanshyam Bhandari, Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh; Lamiya Morshed, SDG Coordinator to the Chief Adviser; and Ishrat Jahan, Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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