Dhaka crash exposes Bangladesh’s excessive dependence on outdated Chinese defence equipment

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has been severely criticised over their “blind reliance” on Chinese-made defence equipment following the tragic Bangladesh Air Force jet crash that has till Saturday claimed 35 lives, mostly children.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media division of the South Asian nation’s Armed Forces, Bangladesh Air Force’s Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft took off at 1:06 pm local time on Monday and crashed into the Milestone School and College building in Dhaka’s Uttara around 1.30pm.

As condolences poured in, countless local students, teachers, and parents expressed their anger on social media over the use of a risky fighter jet for training by the Bangladesh Air Force, which resulted in the horrific air crash and the loss of innocent children’s lives.

According to an analysis done by leading independent journal ‘Eurasia Review’, the crash of F-7BGI reflects Bangladesh’s “dangerous romance” with China, an alliance that took root during the era of the first military dictator and founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Ziaur Rahman.

Despite the national outrage, the Yunus-led interim government reportedly struck a new deal — this time to acquire 16 JF-10C multirole fighter jets from China. The move has been labelled as reckless and an “epitome of responsibility” in the wake of the July 21 crash of the Chinese aircraft.

A retired BAF officer, speaking to the journal on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Chinese aircraft are one of the major factors behind recurring accidents, yet Dhaka’s reliance on such equipment continues.

Even after the repeated mishaps of Chinese aircraft, Bangladesh reportedly operates around 40 F-7BGIs, all procured from China. The excessive dependency on outdated Chinese-made aircraft poses a serious and persistent threat that the interim government fails to address.

Since the Yunus-led interim government assumed power last year, Bangladesh’s proximity to China and Pakistan has become quite visible, aligning with Beijing’s strategic ambitions.

“Rather than acknowledging and learning from the past mistakes, the interim government seems determined to proceed with its plans to acquire 16 new JF-10C fighter jets despite the horrific crash of a Chinese F-7BGI aircraft in Dhaka,” the Eurasia Review wrote. (IANS)

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