Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, allegedly inviting China and Pakistan to build an airbase near the “Chicken’s Neck” — the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow strip of land connecting India’s northeastern states to the rest of the country. This area is strategically sensitive due to its proximity to India’s borders with China, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Based on available information, during Yunus’s recent visit to China (March 26-29, 2025), he urged Beijing to expand its economic influence in Bangladesh, highlighting the landlocked nature of India’s northeastern states and positioning Bangladesh as a potential gateway to the Indian Ocean. This was widely reported and sparked significant backlash in India, with leaders like Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemning the remarks as provocative. Yunus’s comments were framed as an economic pitch, suggesting China could use Bangladesh as a base to access a broader market, but they raised security concerns in India given the corridor’s vulnerability.
There are also claims, primarily from opinion pieces and social media, that Yunus specifically invited China to build an airbase in Bangladesh’s Lalmonirhat district—near the Chicken’s Neck—with Pakistan as a subcontractor. Lalmonirhat’s location, roughly 50 kilometers from the Siliguri Corridor, makes this plausible as a strategic concern, but no official statements from Yunus or the Bangladeshi government explicitly confirm an airbase proposal. A guest op-ed on Eurasiantimes.com by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury mentions this, but it lacks primary sourcing like official documents or direct quotes from Yunus about an airbase. Instead, it aligns with broader speculation about Yunus deepening ties with China and Pakistan, including his phone calls and meetings with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif since taking power in August 2024.
The “darker plan” you mention could imply a strategic encirclement of India, leveraging Bangladesh’s geographic position to challenge India’s access to its northeast. This fits with Yunus’s remarks about the region’s landlocked status and Bangladesh’s role as an oceanic “guardian,” which some interpret as a veiled threat. However, without concrete evidence of an airbase deal—like a signed agreement or Chinese/Pakistani confirmation—it remains speculative. Yunus’s visit did secure $2.1 billion in investments, loans, and grants from China, but these were publicly tied to economic projects, not military ones.
India’s concerns are heightened by Bangladesh’s warming relations with Pakistan under Yunus, a shift from Sheikh Hasina’s stance, which demanded an apology for the 1971 genocide before deepening ties. Northeast Indian leaders have called for infrastructure upgrades to counter any threat to the Chicken’s Neck, reflecting real anxiety but not definitive proof of a military plan.
In short, Yunus’s overtures to China and Pakistan are real and controversial, especially regarding the Chicken’s Neck, but the airbase claim lacks hard substantiation beyond opinion and social media buzz. It’s a tense situation worth watching, but not yet a confirmed “darker plan” beyond economic posturing with potential strategic undertones. What are your thoughts on this? Want to dive deeper into any angle?
