DHAKA: Bangladesh’s retired Major General ALM Fazlur Rehman beseeched the interim government to seriously consider invading India’s northeastern territories if a war breaks out between the two nuclear powers. Rehman also asked the government to seek help from China to bolster their chances.

Fazlur Rehman's controversial statement comes amidst Bangladesh’s souring diplomatic ties with India over the country providing asylum to former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“If India attacks Pakistan, Bangladesh should capture the northeastern India. I think it is necessary to start discussions with China on joint military arrangements in this regard.”

However, the interim government in Bangladesh did not support the statement and called the remark ‘purely personal’. Despite the government not owning Rehman’s statements, it would be ingenuous to take into belief Bangladesh’s words. It was not very long since Bangladesh’s chief advisor, Muhammad Yunus, made vicious statements against India.

During his visit to China, Yunus claimed sovereignty over India’s seven sister states, maybe an attempt to appease his newfound friends in Beijing. At a business event in China, Yunus called Dhaka the sole custodian of the Indian Ocean and invited Beijing to send goods around the world through Bangladesh.

Following the controversial remark, India in April withdrew the transhipment facility granted to Bangladesh for exporting goods to countries other than the Middle East, Europe, Nepal, and Bhutan.

In 2024, the interim government appointed Fazlur Rehman as the chairman of the National Independent Commission to investigate the killings that occurred during the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles riots.