Bangladesh does not anticipate any possibility of war with India under any circumstances, according to Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, who expressed surprise at a recent comment by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
In response to questions at the foreign ministry on Sunday, Hossain addressed concerns about Singh`s remarks, where the Indian defense minister urged the country`s armed forces to remain prepared in light of situations in Europe and Bangladesh. Hossain said, "I am more surprised than worried."
He questioned the rationale behind Singh`s statement, saying, "Why did he (Rajnath Singh) say this? I see no reason for it. I do not believe there is any possibility of war with India under any circumstances. Perhaps this statement was made for internal consumption within India. The way it was phrased seems unclear. Given the war in Ukraine, I don`t see any reason for India to prepare for war. How is India’s situation related to the issues involving Hamas? Comparing Bangladesh to Ukraine or Hamas is beyond my comprehension. I prefer not to react immediately. We will certainly investigate the reasons behind his statement."
When asked if the statement threatened Bangladesh, Hossain reiterated, "I still believe that his statement stems from internal issues within India. Therefore, I am not inclined to make assumptions."
Regarding whether Bangladesh had contacted India about the matter, Hossain responded, "I don’t wish to comment on this at the moment. As I said, we do not wish to react immediately. We will observe the situation closely."
On a separate question about a tweet suggesting that India might offer political asylum to Sheikh Hasina and issue a travel pass for her to visit other countries, Hossain remarked, "Any country can offer political asylum to anyone. Whether it should be done in this case is something to consider, and we will look into it."
When asked if Bangladesh would protest if such asylum were granted, he replied, "Let’s see. We will respond accordingly if that situation arises and questions are asked."
