New Delhi: Bangladesh is open to joining the Mecca pact, “taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade”, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir said in an interview Thursday, adding another layer to the ongoing tension between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the joint defence pact in Mecca earlier this month, formally committing to treat “an armed attack against any one of the three countries as an attack against them all”.
Kabir also spoke at length about why Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to India is not “justified” at this point, as well as Dhaka’s renewed engagement with Pakistan.
“Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade,” he said.
Dhaka is also strengthening ties with Islamabad, particularly in trade and people-to-people connectivity, which Kabir described as normal diplomatic engagement.
Relations with China, meanwhile, have reached “a new height”, Kabir said. Bangladesh is seeking deeper engagement with Beijing while avoiding geopolitical pressure, he added, pointing to the countries’ “Two Plus Two” mechanism and comprehensive partnership.
Amid these developments, a bilateral visit to India is unlikely, remarked the Foreign Affairs Adviser. “There is no justification for rushing into a top-level visit by going beyond the national interest.”
This comes at a time when political divisions in Dhaka, within the government and among the political parties, have left its India policy in limbo, as the push for extradition of Sheikh Hasina as a condition for PM Rahman’s visit to New Delhi puts India and Bangladesh at a delicate crossroads.
Political sources in Dhaka had earlier told ThePrint that a bilateral visit by Rahman was unlikely in the coming months unless India moved beyond what they described as “symbolic outreach”.
Kabir echoed that position, saying the future of Bangladesh-India ties, including a possible visit by Rahman, would depend partly on a change in New Delhi’s approach.
“The neighbouring country must properly understand the reality of Bangladesh’s July mass uprising, which took place through the sacrifices of more than 1,500 people,” he said during the interview with Bangladeshi daily The Business Standard.
A central source of friction remains Hasina, who fled to India following the uprising. Kabir strongly criticised New Delhi for allowing Hasina to use Indian territory for political and media activities. “After the fall of autocratic rule through the July mass uprising, in which more than 1,500 people sacrificed their lives in Bangladesh, providing political or media space in India to fascist Sheikh Hasina, who fled there and took shelter as a criminal, is contrary to India’s democratic etiquette.”
He said such activities had angered millions of Bangladeshis and argued that India could not justify them under international diplomatic norms or simply invoke freedom of expression.
Kabir also said Dhaka wanted clarity on the nature of the relationship New Delhi sought with Bangladesh’s new government. “The possibility of the prime minister visiting India ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit remains slim unless an appropriate environment is created based on consensus between the two countries on specific issues and a dignified invitation.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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