The Bangladesh government has distanced itself from controversial comments made by a retired military officer, who called for the occupation of India’s northeastern states if war breaks out between India and Pakistan.
Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman (retired), former chief of the Bangladesh Rifles — now Border Guards Bangladesh — made the remarks in a Facebook post amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed at least 26 people.
“If India attacks Pakistan, Bangladesh should occupy all northeastern states,” he wrote in Bengali. He also suggested Bangladesh should engage China in a joint military move. The comments quickly drew attention, echoing similar sentiments made weeks earlier by Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the interim Bangladeshi government.
A senior Bangladeshi official, however, rejected the remark as a personal opinion. “These comments do not reflect the government's position,” said Shafiqul Alam, press adviser to Muhammad Yunus. “They were made in a personal capacity and hold no official standing.”
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a formal statement reiterating that the comments “do not reflect the position or policies of the Government of Bangladesh, and as such, the government neither endorses nor supports such rhetoric in any form or manner.”
The Indian government has not officially responded to the latest remarks, although relations between the two countries have grown tense in recent weeks.
Rahman, currently serving as the head of a judicial inquiry into the 2009 Pilkhana massacre — in which 74 people, including army officers, were killed — holds a position equivalent to an appellate division judge of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court. His remarks have further reinforced his reputation as a vocal critic of India.
This is not the first time a top aide or appointee of Muhammad Yunus has stirred controversy. Asif Nazrul, legal adviser to the interim government, had also drawn criticism over a now-deleted social media post related to the Pahalgam attack.
He later clarified that his comments had been misinterpreted and denied any association with extremist elements after reports emerged that he had met a controversial religious figure with alleged ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Yunus, who assumed de facto leadership of Bangladesh after the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August, has also faced diplomatic pushback over earlier comments referring to India’s northeast as “landlocked” and inviting China to play a greater strategic role in the region.
India reacted sharply to Yunus’ earlier statement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly raising the issue during a bilateral meeting at the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. Modi is said to have cautioned Dhaka against rhetoric that could “vitiate the environment.”
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also commented on Yunus’ stance, stating, “Cooperation is not about cherry-picking.”
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