‘Unite Against India, Capture Northeast’: Bangladeshi Colonel Sparks Outrage

Retired Bangladeshi Army Colonel Abdul Haq has once again voiced strong anti-India sentiments. A known supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami, Haq has called for a unification of anti-India forces aimed at seizing control of India’s Northeast.

His remarks echo statements made by Mohammad Yunus, who indirectly suggested that China should occupy the region and even gifted a senior Pakistani Army officer a photograph of a map depicting the Northeast as part of Bangladesh.

Who is Colonel Abdul Haq?

Colonel Abdul Haq, now retired, is recognized for his pro-Pakistan Islamist stance and long-standing support for Jamaat-e-Islami. After leaving the army, he became politically active, joining Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in September 2023.

Both the BNP and Jamaat share similar anti-India ideologies, which Haq continues to promote through his public statements.

Earlier, retired Bangladesh Army General Abdullahil Aman Azmi also made provocative statements against India, asserting that true peace in Bangladesh would be impossible until India is divided.

Azmi’s father led the anti-India Jamaat-e-Islami faction and was convicted for atrocities against Hindus and pro-independence Bengalis during the 1971 Liberation War, an ideology believed to influence Azmi’s rhetoric.

What Azmi Said

Azmi alleged that the Parbatiya Chattogram Jana Samhati Committee, formed during Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s government, and its armed wing, the Shanti Bahini, received shelter, arms, and training from India. 

According to him, this support fueled decades of violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts from 1975 to 1996. He also criticized the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord of 1997, signed between the Bangladesh government and the Parbatiya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti, suggesting it failed to bring lasting peace.

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