Adeel Ahmed
Bangladesh’s potential participation in the Makkah Pact could strengthen regional security,” said Sardar Masood Khan, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, China and the United Nations, and former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, describing the emerging defence arrangement as an open and defensive mechanism that could provide greater security and strategic space to countries seeking to protect their sovereignty and independence.
In an interview, Sardar Masood Khan said the statement from Bangladesh regarding possible engagement with the Makkah Pact was significant and should be viewed in the broader context of changing regional dynamics. He noted that Pakistan and Bangladesh had historically been part of one country and shared important cultural, social and regional bonds, while both countries had an interest in peace, stability and preventing the emergence of regional hegemony.
Sardar Masood Khan said the Makkah Pact had deliberately kept its doors open to other Islamic countries and was not directed against any particular state. He said the agreement was fundamentally defensive and aimed at strengthening collective deterrence and enabling participating countries to safeguard their sovereignty and security.
He said there had been speculation regarding Iran’s possible future participation in the arrangement, although its inclusion in the near term remained unlikely because of existing regional tensions and concerns. However, he observed that Iran could potentially become part of such a regional security framework in the future if mutual confidence improved and tensions between Iran and the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, were reduced.
Sardar Masood Khan said Bangladesh, meanwhile, shared a number of common interests with Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, particularly regarding the protection of Muslim communities, opposition to Islamophobia and support for Palestinian rights. He said Bangladesh’s possible participation would therefore not necessarily be directed against any country but could provide it with a broader regional security umbrella.
He observed that Bangladesh was seeking greater strategic autonomy and would need mechanisms to protect its borders, economic independence and national interests. He said its relationship with India would likely remain pragmatic and calculated, as Bangladesh could not afford complete estrangement from its large neighbour despite pursuing a more independent foreign policy.
Sardar Masood Khan said India should not interpret Bangladesh’s possible engagement with the Makkah Pact as an act of hostility. Rather, he said, the purpose of the arrangement was to enable participating countries to develop security partnerships with other regional states while maintaining relations with their neighbours.
He further noted that Pakistan had itself challenged the concept of regional hegemony and that Bangladesh, too, was increasingly seeking to stand on its own feet. He said participation in a broader defence and security network could provide Bangladesh with greater strategic space while contributing to stability across the wider Muslim and South Asian regions.
