India-China tension
National News: Amid heightened tensions along the Indo-Pak border, a new security concern has emerged in Northeast India and its focus is a defunct airport in Bangladesh Lalmonirhat Airport. China is preparing to assist Bangladesh in restarting this airport. The special thing is that this airport is just 12 kilometers from the Indian border and only 135 kilometers from the sensitive Siliguri Corridor.
Some high-level Chinese officials have recently inspected this defunct airport. The airport is under the control of the Bangladesh Air Force, but there is no activity going on here at the moment. However, China's presence and Bangladesh's attitude indicate that the matter is not just about infrastructure development, but something deeper and strategic.
The Siliguri Corridor also known as the 'Chicken Neck' is a narrow stretch of land connecting India's northeastern states to the rest of India. If there is any foreign activity around this area, it can affect the military and civilian supply chain of the entire North-East. This is why the news of reviving Lalmonirhat Airport cannot be seen only through the prism of "cooperation".
Built in 1931 during the British rule, this airport was an important military base of the Allied countries during the Second World War. After partition, Pakistan opened it for some time in 1958, but it was later closed. In 2019, the Bangladesh government laid the foundation of "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation University" here, which is still operated by the Air Force.
The airport already has many strategic facilities like a 4 km long runway, large tarmac, hangars and taxiways, which can be easily revived and put to military use.
In February 2025, Bangladesh interim government chief Mohammad Yunus visited Beijing, where he received $2.1 billion in financial assistance including investments, loans and grants. This was followed by the announcement to revive six old British-era airports. Lalmonirhat is considered to be the most important among them.
When China already claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own, changes the names of cities there, and is now expanding its influence in areas adjoining Bangladesh borders.it becomes not only an economic but also a military challenge for India.The possibility of affecting the security, trade and supplies of the northeastern states cannot be ruled out.
India now needs to re-examine the security strategy of the Siliguri Corridor and the adjoining border areas and have an active diplomatic dialogue.
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