Prime Minister Tarique Rahman replied to questions during the question-and-answer session today. Photo: PMO

SANGSAD BHABAN, April 1, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has informed the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) about the ongoing progress in establishing a “Bhutanese Special Economic Zone” in Kurigram district.

Replying to a question from Atiqur Rahman Muzahid, MP of Kurigram-2 constituency, the Prime Minister outlined the development regarding the proposed project, during the question-answer session slated for him.

Tarique Rahman, also Leader of the House, said that at a function held in London in 2023, the King of Bhutan expressed interest in establishing a special economic zone in Kurigram district. 

The initiative is a part of the communication began between the governments of Bangladesh and Bhutan to facilitate Bhutanese investments here.

He further stated that the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) took the initiative to establish ‘Kurigram Economic Zone-1’ at Madhabram Mouza under Sadar Upazila of Kurigram. 

Later, considering the interest of the Bhutanese monarch, BEZA proposed setting up a “Bhutanese Special Economic Zone” at the same location under a government-to-government (G2G) joint venture between Bangladesh and Bhutan, he said.

The PM said that administrative approval has already been granted to allocate or acquire 150.07 acres of khas land and 69.57 acres of privately owned land in favour of BEZA for the project. 

So far, BEZA has acquired 133.92 acres of land in the area, while the process of acquiring an additional 61.87 acres is currently underway.

The Prime Minister also noted that the King of Bhutan paid a four-day state visit to Bangladesh from March 25, 2024, during which he visited the proposed site of the “Bhutanese Special Economic Zone”. 

Following the visit, he informed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two governments to establish the economic zone under the G2G framework.

“As per the signed Memorandum of Understanding, a Joint Working Group has been formed with representatives from both Bangladesh and Bhutan,” said the Prime Minister.

He continued that the Bhutanese government is now taking steps to appoint a developer company and that BEZA is working to organize the first meeting of the Joint Working Group at the earliest.