‘Strategically, Bangladesh could join a bloc with Pakistan’

Staff Reporter :

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said that Bangladesh, from a strategic point of view, could consider joining a regional coalition with Pakistan that excludes India. However, he noted that such an arrangement would not be viable for Nepal or Bhutan.

“In our case (Bangladesh), it is strategically possible… but for Nepal or Bhutan, a grouping with Pakistan that excludes India is not feasible,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

His comments followed recent remarks by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who said at the ‘Islamabad Conclave’ that a new trilateral initiative involving Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan has begun, and that it could eventually expand to include more countries within and beyond the region.

Touhid said, “Dar has made a statement, and perhaps this may move forward at some point,” adding that he had no further updates because he had only seen the information reported in the media. On the issue of lifting US sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the adviser said the process is underway and noted “significant progress” in RAB’s conduct over the past 15 years.

He reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to preventing human rights violations, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.

In response to a question about the possibility of sanctions on Bangladeshi leaders after August 5, he dismissed the likelihood, saying he had not encountered any allegations that would warrant such concerns.

Regarding the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the United States, Touhid said discussions on the matter are ongoing.

On the high visa refusal rates faced by Bangladeshi students and other applicants, he said that a substantial number of rejections result from the submission of forged documents by some applicants during the visa process.