By Nityanjali Bulsu
In a development that could further strain ties with New Delhi, Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, has commented on the possibility of Dhaka joining a proposed regional grouping with Pakistan and China. His remarks follow Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s disclosure at the recent Islamabad Conclave that a trilateral initiative involving the three countries had already begun, with scope for expansion across the region.
Responding carefully, Touhid said it was “strategically possible for Bangladesh to join a regional grouping with Pakistan, even without India.” He stressed, however, that such an arrangement would be far less realistic for Nepal and Bhutan. “It is possible for us strategically, but Nepal or Bhutan cannot form a grouping with Pakistan that excludes India,” he noted.
The foreign affairs advisor further clarified that he had learnt about the Pakistani Foreign Minister’s comments through social media. He made a suggestion about the concept further evolving sometime in the future, but that he had no additional information in the present.
However, this is not the first time Bangladesh has been involved in such discussions. While Bangladeshi representatives reportedly attended a meeting in China on June 19th regarding this proposed initiative, Dhaka publicly dismissed any claims of political alignment of the nation. At the time, Touhid had firmly stated that “We are not forming any alliance.”
The validity of a SAARC-style coalition that excludes india is a topic of scepticism for foreign policy analysts. Experts argue that india is important to any regional framework, and it is because of its size, population, economic weight and global influence.
According to an international studies student at JNU, Swaran Singh’s words, as published in the South China morning post, India’s dominance is unmatched in the south asian region. India has extremely high foreign reserves, a huge defence budget and a much larger economy in comparison to Pakistan, which makes its presence in South asian geopolitics indispensable.