Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 23: Amidst the uncertainty over the Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visiting India to improve the bilateral relations between the two countries, Bangladesh has hinted at the possibility of joining the trilateral defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, creating an Islamic NATO-like alliance at its doorstep for India.
Bangladesh junior ministers on Saturday said the country was open to joining the trilateral defence pact even while underlining that there was “no rush” for Mr Rahman’s visit to India and it would not compromise its national interest even though it wanted to maintain positive relationship with India.
The Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir made the remarks in Dhaka on Saturday adding that Rahman’s trip to India would take place at an appropriate time and only after sufficient progress made in bilateral discussions.
Mr Kobir’s remarks came amid continuing uncertainty over Mr Rahman’s visit to New Delhi, despite India having invited the Bangladesh Prime Minister for a bilateral visit as well as to attend the outreach session of the upcoming BRICS summit on September 12-13.
The much-anticipated visit is seen as important for rebuilding India-Bangladesh ties, which witnessed a downturn after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. Ms Hasina fled to India after her government was toppled. Dhaka has since sought her extradition, while New Delhi said the request was under examination in accordance with applicable legal procedures.
“We want a positive relationship with India. Why wouldn’t we? They are our neighbours. We should have a working relationship,” said Mr Kobir, an adviser to the Bangladesh PM who was appointed as State minister only on Friday. “But it has to be done by prioritising Bangladesh’s national interests,” he said, adding that Dhaka would not compromise its interests in dealing with any country.
In the same breath Mr Kobir remarked that the Tarique Rahman government was pursuing a “Bangladesh First” policy and that it was considering to join the tripartite defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade. He said Rahman could also meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh soon, indicating that Dhaka was interested in joining the pact.
“Bangladesh maintains a positive approach towards the possibility of joining an economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, taking into account its own interests and the changing dynamics of the global economy and trade,” he said.
Shama Obaed Islam, who is also a state minister for foreign affairs, has backed Kobir’s comments and said the country’s national interests would determine if Bangladesh goes on to join the trilateral pact. “Whether we join any pact or any multilateral body will be decided primarily on whether Bangladesh’s interests and the interests of the Bangladeshi people are protected,” she said, while interacting with the media.
The trilateral pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, also known as the ‘Mecca Joint Defence Agreement’, was signed in Makkah on August 7. The agreement is similar to the one like the NATO under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all the members.
Interestingly, Egypt has also shown interest in joining the trilateral pact while the US President Donald Trump has welcomed the agreement which he said was highlighting how countries were finally progressing to ‘defend themselves’ in a ‘meaningful way.’
The three signatories to the agreement have claimed that the pact was not against any nation, but only to safeguard their sovereignty, even as Iran stated that the agreement would not guarantee protection to the Saudis.
Amidst the threat of Bangladesh joining the trilateral pact which India would be watching with concern, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar remarked that the relationship between India and Bangladesh can work if it meets the test of “mutual interest.” He made the remark even as asserting that one cannot always expects its neighbours to “only do” what is in their interest.
“What I can tell you is, for any relationship to work, it has to meet the test of mutual interest. It has to work for us,” he said. “I am not expecting neighbours to only do what is in my interest. There has to be a reasonable degree of my recognising and respecting what is in their interest, just as I expect them also to do so,” he said. “It is when you get that landing point, that common ground, relationships work smoothly.”
India and Bangladesh are trying to reset their ties after they were severely affected in the aftermath of Hasina’s ouster. Under former Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, the ties were severely hit after Dhaka repeated its demand that Hasina must be extradited. However, Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) coming to power, the strained ties have slowly began improving.
In recent weeks, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi held a series of meetings with top political brass of Bangladesh, including PM Rahman, underlining the need to create a conducive environment to further advance the bilateral ties. Trivedi has said Rahman’s India visit should take place much sooner despite “our differences.”
Asked about the possible timing of Mr Rahman’s visit to India, Mr Kobir said there was no need to rush a head-of-government-level meeting. “If we reach an agreement based on our national interests tomorrow, we can go [to India] next week, or the week after. There is no rush here,” he said and added that such a visit required adequate preparation, substantive discussions and necessary groundwork between the two sides.
India-Bangladesh relations came under fresh strain after Ms Hasina held a virtual media interaction in New Delhi on August 5, in which she said she was determined to return home in December to put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, notwithstanding the risk of facing the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence.
Ms Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Bangladesh in November 2025 over alleged “crimes against humanity” during the crackdown on people who were part of student-led protests eventually leading to her ouster. Bangladesh expressed outrage over the media interaction, saying the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India.
India, meanwhile, sought to distance itself from the event, saying New Delhi neither played a role in it nor endorsed Ms Hasina’s comments. Following the August 5 event, Dhaka reiterated its demand for her extradition and even sought to link it with Mr Rahman’s planned trip to India.