Dhaka: As India prepares to track down and teach Pakistan-bred terrorists a lesson for the deadly terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam 10 days ago, there are other parties too who are ready to provoke New Delhi and test the government’s patience and resolve.
A retired Bangladeshi Army officer, known to have close ties with the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, sparked controversy by suggesting that Bangladesh should occupy India’s northeastern states if Narendra Modi-led government orders military action against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam massacre.
Maj. Gen. (retired) ALM Fazlur Rahman, former head of Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh), made the provocative comments in a social media post, even proposing that Bangladesh should start talks with China for a joint military system.
“If India attacks Pakistan, Bangladesh should occupy seven states of North East India. In this regard, I think it is necessary to start a discussion on a joint military system with China,” he wrote in Bengali on Facebook.
Bangladesh’s interim government distanced itself from the controversial comments of Fazlur Rahman, who is the chairperson of National Independent Commission of Inquiry probing the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles massacre.
Shafiqul Alam, press secretary at the Bangladesh chief adviser’s office, clarified that ALM Fazlur Rahman’s statements 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,” clarified Shafiqul Alam, press secretary at the Bangladesh chief adviser’s office.
Though the remarks were made by Rahman in his personal capacity, these are significant coming close on the heels of Yunus’ observations during his recent visit to China. The Nobel laureate, who was appointed head of Bangladesh’s interim government after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, reportedly encouraged Beijing to increase its economic footprint in Bangladesh, noting the landlocked nature of India’s northeastern states could be a potential avenue for enhanced Sino-Bangladeshi cooperation.
“Seven states of India, eastern part of India, called seven sisters… they are landlocked country, landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean. We are the only guardian of the ocean for all this region. So this opens up a huge possibility… this could be an extension of the Chinese economy. Build things, produce things, market things, bring things to China, bring it out to the whole rest of the world,” Yunus had suggested.
