‘Our missiles are not far away’: Pakistan leader warns India over Bangladesh unrest

Islamabad/New Delhi: A youth wing leader of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has issued a sharp warning to India, claiming Pakistan would respond militarily if Bangladesh were attacked and calling for a strategic alliance between Islamabad and Dhaka.

In a video statement on Tuesday, PML leader Kamran Saeed Usmani said Pakistan’s armed forces and missile capabilities would come into play in the event of any threat to Bangladesh’s sovereignty.

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"If India attacks Bangladesh’s autonomy, if anyone dares to look at Bangladesh with ill intent, then remember that the people of Pakistan, the Pakistani armed forces, and our missiles are not far away," he said.

Usmani also accused India of attempting to impose what he described as its “Akhand Bharat ideology” on Bangladesh and said Pakistan would not tolerate such moves.

Usmani claimed Pakistan does not accept Bangladesh being pushed into “India’s ideological dominance.” He warned that if India attacks Bangladesh or even “casts an evil eye” on its autonomy, Pakistan would respond forcefully.

The PML leader further claimed that Pakistan had previously put India under pressure and could do so again if required. He went on to outline a hypothetical military scenario, suggesting Pakistan would attack from the west, Bangladesh from the east, while China remains focused on Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

Usmani’s remarks come amid rising tensions involving Bangladesh and India, following violent incidents and diplomatic protests.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bangladesh summoned India’s top envoy after protests erupted outside the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi over the lynching of a Hindu garment worker in Dhaka. The worker was allegedly accused of blasphemy and killed by a mob on December 18. Authorities in Bangladesh have arrested seven suspects in connection with the incident.

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Hundreds of protesters gathered near the High Commission in New Delhi, waving saffron flags and banners, including one that read: “Stop Killing Hindus in Bangladesh.”

In a statement, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry referred to “regrettable incidents” involving protests and vandalism outside its visa centres in New Delhi and Siliguri last week. India, however, dismissed reports of vandalism as “misleading propaganda.”

Relations between India and Bangladesh have come under strain since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country following a pro-democracy uprising last year and sought refuge in India.

New Delhi has said it is still considering Dhaka’s request to extradite Hasina, who has been sentenced to death in absentia in Bangladesh for allegedly orchestrating a deadly crackdown on the protests.