India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to lodge a formal diplomatic protest over what it described as provocative anti India remarks made by National Citizen Party leader Hasnat Abdullah.
Abdullah, while addressing a gathering at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar on Monday, warned that Bangladesh could shelter forces hostile to India, including separatist groups, and help cut off India’s "seven sisters" states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
Bangladeshi politicain's remarks against India
"We will shelter separatist and anti-India forces and then we will sever the seven sisters from India," Abdullah said, drawing loud cheers from sections of the audience.
He added, “I want to make it clear to India that if you provide shelter to forces that do not respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, potential, voting rights, and human rights, Bangladesh will respond."
Abdullah also claimed that even after 54 years of independence, Bangladesh continues to face efforts by what he called ‘vultures’ seeking to exert control over the country, without naming India directly.
Hasnat also claimed that even after 54 years of independence, Bangladesh continues to face attempts by “vultures” seeking to exert control over the country, without naming New Delhi directly.
India-Bangladesh ties
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemned the remarks as “irresponsible and dangerous,” adding, “‘India is a very big country, a nuclear nation and the fourth largest economy of the world. How can Bangladesh even think about it?”
India has long accused militant and separatist groups in the Northeast of using Bangladesh as a sanctuary, transit route, and logistics base, particularly during the late 1990s and early 2000s. During this period, several insurgent outfits from Assam and Tripura maintained camps, safe houses, or support networks across the border.
Beyond the Northeast, Bangladesh has also hosted Islamist extremist networks with links to India. Groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) and, later, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were flagged by Indian agencies for their cross-border presence and for facilitating radicalisation and logistics networks affecting eastern India.
