Foreign affairs adviser expresses surprise over Indian defence minister’s remarks over Bangladesh
“I am more surprised than concerned by his comments. I don’t see any reason for such statements. We need to understand whether he said this for his own country’s purposes,” Hossain said during a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today
Touhid Hossain. Sketch: TBS
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Touhid Hossain. Sketch: TBS
Highlights:
- Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asked country’s top military leadership to analyse current situation in Bangladesh, Russia-Ukraine and between Israel-Hamas
- Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser says no possibility of Bangladesh-India conflict
- Said Indian minister’s remark may be for internal needs
- Hossain said it will evaluate whether any country should grant deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina asylum
- He stressed no more Rohingyas will be allowed to enter
Commenting on Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s speech before his country’s military urging them to analyse the situation in Bangladesh, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said he was more surprised than concerned.
“I am more surprised than concerned by his comments. I don’t see any reason for such statements. We need to understand whether he said this for his own country’s purposes,” Hossain said during a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (8 September).
“I do not believe there is any possibility of conflict between our two countries under any circumstances,” he added.
Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh recently urged the top commanders of the Indian Armed Forces to monitor the situation in Bangladesh and prepare for future conflicts.
Rajnath “emphasised on the need of a broader and deeper analysis by the top military leadership in view of the situation along the northern border and the happenings in neighbouring countries which are posing a challenge to peace and stability in the region,” according to a Defence Ministry statement.
He made these remarks during a speech last Thursday (5 September), where he addressed the Armed Forces’ Joint Commanders Conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Hossain further elaborated on the issue, stating, “The way he spoke seems to be beating around the bush. I also don’t see why India would need to prepare for war because of the conflict in Israel.
“It’s also unclear what connection India has with the situation involving Hamas. And how Ukraine and Hamas could be compared to Bangladesh is beyond my understanding. We don’t want to have any knee-jerk reaction to this. But we will certainly look into why he made such statements.”
When asked if Singh’s remarks pose a threat to Bangladesh, the foreign affairs adviser said, “I still believe he made this statement for some internal need. So, I don’t want to speculate.”
In response to a question about whether India would offer political asylum to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Hossain said, “Any country can grant political asylum to anyone. But whether it should be done in this case is something we will evaluate.”
Regarding the upcoming UN General Assembly, Hossain mentioned that a team of around twelve members might attend.
On the issue of Rohingya infiltration, he said, “We do not want any more Rohingya entering the country. However, many are still crossing the border in various ways. The BGB is pushing back those they catch, but due to our limitations, it is not possible to stop everyone.”
