A former Bangladeshi army officer close to Chief Adviser Yunus has urged Dhaka to ally with China to seize India’s northeast if New Delhi strikes Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack.
A social media post by retired Bangladeshi Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman has sparked diplomatic concern in the region after he suggested that Bangladesh should consider occupying India’s northeastern states if India were to launch a military strike on Pakistan.
The remarks, made in the wake of heightened India-Pakistan tensions following a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam.
In his Facebook post, Rahman, who currently serves as chairman of the National Independent Commission and was appointed under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, proposed a joint military arrangement with China to support such a maneuver.
He argued that the landlocked nature of India’s northeastern “seven sisters” presented a strategic opportunity for Bangladesh in the event of conflict.
Rahman’s remarks followed earlier controversial comments by Chief Adviser Yunus during a visit to China in March, in which he described Bangladesh as the “only guardian” of the Indian Ocean for the region and invited Chinese economic cooperation through Bangladeshi territory.
India strongly objected to these assertions, viewing them as a challenge to its regional influence and territorial integrity. The statements triggered reactions from leaders across the Indian political spectrum, and in April, India withdrew transhipment facilities previously extended to Bangladesh, barring exceptions for landlocked Nepal and Bhutan under WTO guidelines.
In response to Rahman’s remarks, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a firm statement distancing itself from the retired general’s views. “The comments do not reflect the position or policies of the government of Bangladesh,” the ministry clarified. “The government neither endorses nor supports such rhetoric in any form or manner.”
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