Regional connectivity plan hits Bhutan hurdle

ACTOR VINOD Khanna, one of Hindi film industry’s leading men in the 1970s, and a Member of Parliament, passed away on Thursday morning. He was 70.

“He breathed his last at 11.20 am due to advanced bladder carcinoma,” said a statement released by the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Girgaon, Mumbai. Khanna was treated at the hospital a few weeks ago for extreme dehydration.

Born on October 6, 1946, in Peshawar, Khanna and his family moved to Mumbai after Partition. He studied at St Mary’s School before the family INDIA’S PLAN to isolate Pakistan and move ahead with “sub-regional connectivity” appears to have hit a wall, as Bhutan has backed out of the BBIN (Bhutanbangladesh-india-nepal) motor vehicles pact “for now”. This has forced the Indian government to consider alternative options which will involve only Bangladesh and Nepal.

Bhutan has conveyed to India that the pact cannot be ratified in its parliament since there is opposition and the Tshering Tobgay government, which is heading for polls next year, does not want to take the political risk “at the moment”. Bhutan’s opposition has cited issues pertaining to increased traffic, pollution and potential job losses if vehicles from the other three countries are allowed to ply freely in their country.

Sources told The Indian Express that Tobgay conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through diplomatic channels earlier this week, about his inability to push through the legislation. He suggested that India, Bangladesh and Nepal could go ahead with the project “for now”, and Bhutan would join at a “later date”.

The BBIN connectivity project was revived in early 2015, after the SAARC motor vehicles agreement was blocked by Pakistan at the SAARC summit in November 2014. South Block is now considering the option of moving forward with Bangladesh and Nepal.

In a statement on Thursday, Bhutan said: “Recognising the importance of connectivity for expansion of economic

File Narendra Modi with Tshering Tobgay.