Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain expressed surprise regarding a recent statement by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“I was surprised, not concerned by the statement,” Touhid told reporters at the foreign ministry on Sunday.
On Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India is a “peace-loving nation”, but the Armed Forces need to be “prepared for war in order to preserve peace”.
He urged India’s top military officials to analyse the current situations in Bangladesh, as well as the conflicts in Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas, and anticipate challenges India may face in the future, remaining ready for the “unexpected.”
Asked about Singh’s comments, Touhid Hossain remarked, “I don’t see any reason for him to make such a statement.”
Touhid said he does not in any way think that there is any apprehension of war between Bangladesh and India.
“We do not want to show any reaction. We have to understand whether he (Rajnath) has said this for the consumption of his own country or not,” he said.
“His statement seems to be beating around the bush.”
He said “I do not see any reason for India’s war preparations for the war in Ukraine. I don’t understand what the problem of Hamas has to do with it, and how it compares with Ukraine and Hamas with Bangladesh. We will look into it why he said this.”
When asked about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political asylum, Hossain said that normally, any country can give political asylum to anyone. “We will see (if that happens).”
