The talks of Bangladesh considering to join Mecca Pact, a mutual defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan has raised security concerns and may complicate its relations with India.
India shares its longest international boundary with Bangladesh, which largely remains porous and has been source of immigration of Bangladeshi in India.
Relations have become strained as Bangladesh has accused Indian border forces of forcibly pushing people across the frontier, even as Dhaka seeks the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since her removal from power during a protest movement in August 2024.
"If there is a security arrangement among Islamic nations in the Middle East, it is not unusual for us to consider participating. It is being viewed positively," said junior foreign minister Humayun Kabir.
"They are inviting the leadership of Bangladesh, particularly Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, to come and participate," he told reporters on Monday.
A source from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had invited Dhaka to join the pact, although the timing of the invitation was not revealed. The source, who was not authorised to speak to the press, requested anonymity.
This month, the three nations with Sunni Muslim majorities concluded the agreement in the sacred Saudi city of Mecca, modeling it on NATO’s principle of collective defense.
They pledged that any armed attack on one member would be treated as an assault on the whole group, set against a backdrop of rising regional tensions highlighted by Iranian missile strikes throughout the Middle East.
Bangladesh, like Turkey, is a secular republic, despite more than 90% of its population being Sunni Muslim.
Turkey, which fields NATO’s second-largest military, has stated that its alliance with nuclear-armed Pakistan and leading oil exporter Saudi Arabia is open to further expansion.
Analysts note that entering a military alliance would challenge Bangladesh’s long-established foreign policy of steering clear of opposing geopolitical blocs, a strategy it has used to draw investment, boost exports, and preserve economic relations with competing powers.
Geopolitical analyst Kollol Kibria noted that joining a formal alliance could strain Bangladesh’s relations not only with India, but also with China, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
These relationships would not immediately collapse; however, once Bangladesh enters a military alliance, it becomes far more difficult to sidestep the question of which side the country is on, Kibria said.
The invitation arrives at a sensitive time in Bangladesh’s relationship with India under Rahman’s six-month-old administration, even as both sides strive to maintain friendly relations.
The prime minister has not yet determined whether to travel to India, Rahman’s spokesperson said this month, as Dhaka awaits New Delhi’s reply to its request for Hasina’s extradition.
Dhaka had earlier demanded a “favourable environment” for such a visit after Hasina spoke to journalists in New Delhi this month, a step that drew criticism in Bangladesh.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, referring to the Mecca agreement, said it was closely monitoring developments in West Asia.
Analysts said New Delhi was unlikely to welcome Bangladesh's membership of a security alliance that includes arch foe Pakistan, although Dhaka would ultimately need to weigh the broader economic and strategic consequences of such a move.
