Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar, chairman of the Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies (FSDS), said joining the Mecca Defence Pact could create opportunities to enhance Bangladesh’s defence capabilities. In particular, the country could strengthen its defence equipment supply chains, develop its military-industrial capacity and improve interoperability with participating countries.

Bangladesh could also benefit from joint training and intelligence-sharing, he argued.

The security expert also highlighted several potential risks associated with joining the pact. He said India might have to take Bangladesh into greater consideration in its military planning if Bangladesh became a member. At the same time, it was uncertain whether the United States’ current position would remain unchanged in the future.

According to Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar, there was no need for Bangladesh to rush into joining the Mecca Defence Pact.

He, however, pointed out that despite maintaining diplomatic relations and engagement with various countries for 55 years, Bangladesh still had no sufficiently reliable ally that would firmly stand by it at the UN Security Council on matters concerning the country’s security.

In such circumstances, he said, becoming part of a collective security framework could be a strategic consideration for Bangladesh.