India closely follows developments bearing on national security: Jaiswal on Bangladesh's stance on Mecca pact
New Delhi says it is assessing developments affecting its national security.
Highlights:
- Bangladesh says it may join pact if invited
- Pact links Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan
- Jaiswal also comments on Bangladesh law and order
India is closely following developments that have implications for its national security and will act accordingly, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said today (28 August), responding to Bangladesh's stance on the Mecca Defence Pact involving Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.
"We continue to follow all developments that have a bearing on our national security," Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi when asked about recent comments by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on the pact.
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Jaiswal was asked specifically about Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman's remark yesterday that Dhaka would positively consider joining the pact if invited, and Kobir's earlier comment on 24 August that Bangladesh viewed the initiative positively.
India's response comes amid heightened regional attention to the defence agreement signed this month by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in the holy city of Mecca.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier said New Delhi takes into account developments involving countries that may not be favourably disposed towards India.
Speaking at an event hosted by The Economic Times, Jaishankar was asked whether the Mecca Defence Pact, signed amid recent military tensions between India and Pakistan, was a cause for concern for New Delhi.
He pointed to the existing security challenges faced by the countries that signed the agreement and questioned what practical difference the pact had made in addressing those situations.
"You refer to it as a defence pact. There are live military situations which each of the signatories face. What has the Mecca pact done in response to that?" he said.
Meanwhile, when asked about the killing of four members of a Hindu family in Rangpur last week and the law and order situation in Bangladesh, Jaiswal said it was the responsibility of the Bangladesh government.
Bangladesh's position on the pact
On 24 August, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Bangladesh viewed the Mecca Defence Pact positively and that it would not be unusual for Dhaka to consider participating in a security arrangement among Islamic nations.
"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," Humaiun said.
He also said Bangladesh's leadership, particularly Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, had been invited to participate.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on 27 August said Bangladesh would positively consider joining the pact if it received an invitation.
A source in Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had invited Dhaka to join the pact, although the source did not specify when the invitation was extended.
The three Sunni Muslim-majority countries signed the agreement in Mecca this month. The pact is modelled on the principle of collective defence, under which an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all.
Bangladesh's comments on the pact come at a time when Dhaka-New Delhi relations remain strained over several issues, including border push-ins and Bangladesh's request for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since her ouster in August 2024.
