GUWAHATI: A retired Bangladeshi army officer, who is closely associated with the current interim govt led by Muhammad Yunus, has called for occupation of India’s northeastern states should India launch an attack on Pakistan over the Pahalgam carnage.
Maj Gen (retired) ALM Fazlur Rahman, a former chief of Bangladesh Rifles, now known as Border Guard Bangladesh), suggested in his social media post that Bangladesh “needs to start discussing a joint military system with China.”
The reference to India’s northeast has drawn scrutiny in India, with officials and analysts questioning the significance and intent behind highlighting the region’s landlocked status to Chinese investors. The remarks are viewed in the context of China’s growing strategic interest in South Asia and its infrastructure development near India’s borders, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh.
Rahman’s statement on April 29 comes amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions over the killing of 26 tourists on April 22 in Kashmir and a period of strained India-Bangladesh relations after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, bringing to light the complex geopolitical dynamics of the region.
The interim govt last year appointed Rahman as the head of a seven-member independent commission to re-investigate the 2009 revolt and massacre at the Pilkhana headquarters of then Bangladesh Rifles in which 74, including 57 Army officers, were killed.
Bangladeshi authorities have been quick to distance itself from Rahman’s inflammatory remarks about military action against India, stating unequivocally that these views do not reflect the govt’s official stance.
Shafiqul Alam, press secretary at Bangladesh chief adviser’s office said the comments made by Major General (retired) ALM Fazlur Rahman, the head of the BDR commission, were made in his personal capacity.
“The Interim Government does not share his views in any shape or form and does not ENDORSE such rhetoric. Bangladesh respects the sovereignty and independence of all nations and expects the same from others. We urge all not to drag the government of Bangladesh in reference to Major Gen Fazlur Rahman’s personal comments,” Alam said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Rahman’s statement came weeks after Muhammad Yunus’s trip to China, where he allegedly encouraged Beijing to expand its economic influence into Bangladesh, highlighting that India’s northeastern states are landlocked and suggesting this could be an opportunity for China and Bangladesh.
Yunus positioned Bangladesh as the “only guardian of the ocean” for the region and pitched the country as a gateway for Chinese economic expansion, including access to Nepal and Bhutan’s hydropower resources. Yunus signed several agreements with China and described the relationship as entering a ‘new stage,” emphasizing the importance of seeing China as a good friend and balancing factor against India.
