Overview

• Retired Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman suggested Bangladesh should occupy India’s northeastern states if India retaliates militarily against Pakistan for the Pahalgam terror attack.
• Rahman also proposed initiating discussions with China on joint military arrangements to support such actions.
• The comments follow Yunus’s earlier statement positioning Bangladesh as the maritime gateway for India’s landlocked northeast, which drew sharp criticism from Indian leaders.
• India responded by emphasizing its northeastern region as a connectivity hub under BIMSTEC and terminating a trans-shipment facility for Bangladeshi exports, citing congestion.
• These developments highlight strained India-Bangladesh relations, exacerbated by Sheikh Hasina’s exile and concerns over attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.