The Delhi-Dhaka thaw is welcome. It must be built on

📌 Summary:

• Context: After the ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina (August 4, 2024) and the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government taking charge, India-Bangladesh ties chilled sharply; recent moves — most notably India resuming tourist visas at pre-2024 levels — signal a much-needed thaw
• Core argument: The thaw is welcome but must be consolidated; the bilateral relationship rests on deep people-to-people affinities, not on which party rules in Dhaka
• Causal chain of the trust deficit: (1) regime change brought attacks on Awami League supporters and minorities, which New Delhi protested; (2) India's withdrawal of transshipment facilities for Bangladesh's export cargo earlier this year worried Dhaka; (3) India "did not do enough" to signal that the relationship's value is independent of the ruling party — feeding the perception of a "big brother" attitude
• Course correction: Since Tarique Rahman became PM, leaders have re-engaged — including a meeting between PM Rahman and EAM S Jaishankar — and India supplied fuel to Bangladesh during the West Asia crisis
• India's strategic stake: Dhaka is essential for BIMSTEC, India's ambitions in the Indian Ocean Region, and the Act East policy; cooperation matters on river-water sharing, the ~4,000-km land border, and power
• Bangladesh's reality: it cannot wish away the geographical and economic weight of its larger neighbour
• Solution: both sides must sidestep short-term political rhetoric and build patiently on the thaw through tangible mutual gains

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 International Relations — India and its neighbourhood, the impact of domestic political change on bilateral ties, and "Neighbourhood First"/regional connectivity.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Sheikh Hasina was ousted on August 4, 2024; an interim government was led by Muhammad Yunus
• BIMSTEC = Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
• India-Bangladesh share a land border of roughly 4,000 km (India's longest land border)

🔑 Key Term: Transshipment facility — an arrangement allowing one country's cargo to transit/transfer through another's ports or territory en route to a third destination.