For India, Bangladesh’s talk of joining ‘Islamic Nato’ raises red flags
Joining the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani security alliance offers Dhaka leverage, but could also threaten its non-aligned stance
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told parliament on August 27 that Bangladesh was considering joining the Mecca pact, a security framework signed last month. Earlier reports citing unnamed sources said the invitation originated from Riyadh.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir also told reporters: “If there is a security arrangement among Islamic nations in the Middle East, it is not unusual for us to consider participating. It is being viewed positively.”
Under the agreement signed on August 7 in Mecca, an armed attack against any signatory is treated as an attack against all members – earning the arrangement the informal moniker “Islamic Nato.”
Shafi Md. Mostofa, an associate professor at the University of Dhaka, said that joining the pact would compel India to be “much more cautious and respectful while dealing with [Dhaka].”
