Amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan have recently signed a joint defence pact aimed at strengthening security cooperation. Under the agreement, an attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all three.
On August 27, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told Parliament that if the member states expressed an interest in including Bangladesh in the pact, Dhaka would “certainly consider it positively.”
The issue was raised at India’s regular weekly briefing in New Delhi on Friday (August 28), where journalists asked Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal about Bangladesh’s position.
In response, Jaiswal said India “keeps a constant watch on all developments that have a bearing on our national security.”
Asked specifically about Bangladesh’s possible inclusion in the pact, he added that India was closely monitoring developments, particularly those concerning India’s security, and that the country takes all necessary measures to protect its national interests.
Delhi therefore did not directly comment on Bangladesh joining the pact, but made clear that it is closely monitoring the issue from a national-security perspective.
