Lieutenant General PC Nair is a retired officer of the Indian Army with a career spanning over four decades. He served as the Director General of the Assam Rifles, India’s oldest paramilitary force, where he played a crucial role in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East region. Lt. Gen. Nair (Retd) has extensive expertise in dealing with insurgency, tribal dynamics, and border security.
He is also recognised for his in-depth understanding of India’s internal security challenges, particularly in volatile regions such as Manipur, Nagaland, and the North East. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Lt Gen PC Nair (Retd.) discusses the proposed Rakhine Corridor in Myanmar, which has sparked political and military tensions in Bangladesh.
He explains how China is expanding its influence through the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and why the US seeks to increase its foothold via humanitarian aid in Myanmar. He also explores why Bangladesh’s interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, is delaying elections and the growing rift with Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman.
He also discusses the impact of militancy along the Myanmar border and how growing Chinese influence in Bangladesh affects India.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction
01:50 – Power Game in Myanmar’s Rakhine
06:30 – China’s Ties with Myanmar’s Arakan Army
11:57 – ‘Humanitarian Corridor’ in Rakhine
14:00 – Yunus’s Interest in Rakhine Corridor
19:27 – American Presence in Bangladesh
23:17 – Muhammad Yunus vs Army
27:16 – Kaladan Multimodal Project
32:28 – Challenges on the Indo-Myanmar Border
35:38 – Bangladesh's ‘Two Chicken Necks’
41:43 – Revival of Lalmonirhat Airbase
46:36 – Jamaat-e-Islami Comeback in B'desh
48:54 – Myanmar’s Rare-Earth Mining
51:43 – Militant Groups in Myanmar
57:33 – India-Bangladesh Relations
