Dhaka/New Delhi, May 3: A retired Bangladeshi army general heading a state-appointed inquiry commission has sparked controversy after suggesting that Bangladesh should consider occupying India’s northeastern states if New Delhi attacks Pakistan.
Major General (retired) A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman, who chairs the National Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny, made the remarks in a Facebook post on Tuesday. He also advocated for a joint military arrangement with China, saying it was necessary to “start a discussion” on such a system.
“If India attacks Pakistan, Bangladesh should occupy seven states of North East India,” Rahman wrote in Bengali.
The comments come at a time of heightened regional tensions following a deadly terror attack in the Indian region of Pahalgam, which has led to a series of punitive measures from New Delhi, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and downgrading diplomatic ties with Islamabad.
The post was endorsed by fellow commission member Shahnawaz Khan Chandan, an assistant professor and former member of Islamist student group Islami Chhatra Shibir. Chandan is considered a trusted ally of interim leader Muhammad Yunus, whose government took office after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
India and Bangladesh have seen a sharp downturn in bilateral relations since Hasina’s removal. Meanwhile, Dhaka has initiated a thaw in ties with Pakistan, holding their first foreign secretary-level talks in 15 years and easing visa restrictions.
The Yunus administration has also signaled a pivot toward Beijing. In a recent meeting with Chinese officials, Yunus called Bangladesh the “only guardians of the ocean” in the region and proposed turning the country into “an extension of the Chinese economy.”
Rahman, who commanded the BDR during the 2001 border clashes in which 16 Indian Border Security Force personnel were killed, was recently elevated to a post equivalent to a Supreme Court appellate judge. He has vowed to uncover what he calls a foreign conspiracy behind the 2009 mutiny that left 74 dead, including 57 army officers.
The independent commission he heads was formed in December 2024 to re-investigate the mutiny, amid fresh allegations implicating Indian intelligence agency RAW in orchestrating the violence.
