Bangladeshi Official Suggests Northeast India Occupation Amid Rising India-Pakistan Tensions:

Suspense crime, Digital Desk : As the tension is high between India and Pakistan following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, a major controversy has developed with a senior member of the interim government of Bangladesh. ALM Fazlur Rahman, former major general and chairperson of Bangladesh’s National Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2009 BDR massacre, brazenly proclaimed that Bangladesh must actively pursue capturing Northeast India, should India move militarily against Pakistan.

In a social media statement, Rahman advanced that “If India attacks Pakistan, Bangladesh should occupy seven states of Northeast India. A discussion on a joint military system with China is advisable for this purpose.”

Context: Rising India-Pakistan Conflict and Strained Ties with Dhaka

Rahman made the statement post the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 people and created further strain on Indo-Pak relations. Closer home, the bilateral ties of India and Bangladesh have deteriorated since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime. Human rights activists have chronicled the increase of violence in Bangladesh, especially the minorities, with a keen focus on the Hindus.

Strategic Bangladesh and Chiana’s Interests

During a recent visit to Beijing, Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Dhaka’s role in the regional supply chain. According to him, Bangladesh is “the sole custodian of the sea” for the Northeast India which is landlocked and encouraged China to strengthen its influence by deepening strategic relations with Dhaka.

Strategic Importance of Northeast India

Northeast India is bounded by China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, thus making it geographically very sensitive. As a region, it has been vulnerable to separatist violence, some of them operationally from camps in Bangladesh which was supported until Sheikh Hasina’s government crushed them post 2009. The region’s susceptibility amplifies the importance of this area in India’s national security strategy.