Trade between India and Bangladesh has come to a halt this afternoon amid unrest in Bangladesh due to large-scale protests, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday, traders report.
The Bangladeshi government declared a three-day trade holiday, excluding essential services, through an official notification on Sunday.
According to Ujjal Saha, secretary of the West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee, export and import activities at all land ports have been stalled due to a lack of clearance from Bangladeshi customs.
“Some movement was observed in the morning, but it ceased later,” he stated.
The disruption in trade follows violent protests against the government of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh over the past two days.
“The Bangladeshi government has announced a three-day complete holiday, with the exception of essential services, thus closing the borders for business,” Saha explained.
Sajedur Rahman, general secretary of the Benapole C&F Staff Association, mentioned that there was some activity in the morning which halted following the news of the President’s resignation and exit from the country.
Benapole is situated on the Bangladesh side of the Petrapole border in West Bengal.
Petrapole, the largest land port responsible for the bulk of bilateral trade, along with a few other land ports in the state, has been impacted, sources claim.
Later in the day, no truck movement was reported from the Petrapole landport, according to sources.
Nevertheless, officials at Petrapole have reported that they have not received any communication regarding a trading halt from the government.
