On August 7, 2026, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca, widely known as the “Mecca Pact”. The agreement is aimed at strengthening collective deterrence against aggression, with an armed attack on any one of the three countries to be treated as an attack on all.
The pact has sparked serious debate in Bangladesh, with growing interest among some sections of the public in what has been described as an “Islamic NATO”.
Bangladeshi officials, meanwhile, have sent mixed signals over whether Bangladesh has been invited to join the pact, or whether Dhaka is considering seeking membership.
On August 27, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told Parliament that “Bangladesh will positively consider Mecca Pact membership if invited”. He also described the pact as an “internal matter of the Muslim world”, saying there was no reason for “others” to be concerned about it.
The two other state ministers for foreign affairs have also made positive remarks about the initiative.
At the same time, experts and analysts have raised concerns about the potential risks of Bangladesh joining the pact. This has left many wondering: Should Bangladesh join the Mecca Pact?
To explore the question, Daily Waadaa spoke to four experts over the past few weeks. Here is what they had to say:
Obaidul Haque described Bangladesh’s potential membership in the Mecca Pact as “very exciting and tempting”, but said it requires serious discussion between the government and multiple stakeholders, including political parties, military and security officials, and civil society actors.
Emphasising the need for political consensus, he said, “Before taking any decision to join the pact, there must be a political consensus among the political parties.”
He described the positive remarks made by the foreign minister and state ministers as “throwing weather balloons” to gauge how domestic and international audiences would respond to Bangladesh’s possible membership, and said he considers this a good move by foreign policy officials.
Asked about the specific strategic benefits and potential risks of joining the pact, Obaidul said Bangladesh needs time to examine both sides.
“We need to take time to discuss these as there are many costs and benefits of joining the pact, but we need to talk about the specifics,” he said.
He stressed that Bangladesh should not focus solely on the potential benefits, but must also carefully assess the costs and obligations attached to membership.
On concerns expressed by Indian media and other stakeholders over Bangladesh’s possible move to join the pact, Obaidul said Dhaka should make the decision independently.
“We must think and take time independently and not because some other countries’ media or stakeholders are concerned for us. We now have strategic autonomy, and we have our independent foreign policy. We would think for ourselves and it is nobody’s business except us,” he said.
Asked whether the Mecca Pact is primarily symbolic or represents a practical security arrangement, Obaidul pointed to the rapidly changing global and regional security environment.
“The whole security situation is changing rapidly. And this is why I think this pact means business, it is not symbolic,” he said.
Asked what advice he would give the prime minister regarding Bangladesh’s potential membership, Obaidul again emphasised the importance of political consensus.
“This is a big opportunity. We can’t get it wrong. We need to enhance our security. We know that there are a lot of benefits of joining the pact, but we must also discuss with the relevant stakeholders about the cost too,” he said.
Asked whether Bangladesh should join the Mecca Pact, Md. Ataur Rahman Talukder said the answer depends largely on the agreement’s actual provisions.
“It depends on what is written on the pact. As the text is not available, we don’t know which member country is responsible for what. We need to wait for the whole text to get to a decision,” he said.
Nevertheless, he described the development as something to be hopeful about and viewed the ongoing discussion over Bangladesh’s possible membership positively.
“Our strategic autonomy for the last 17 years was questionable. Now that we are discussing whether joining a defence pact is good or not, this indicates we are heading towards the right direction. We are prioritizing our national interests through Bangladesh First policy. In a functional democracy there will always be debate over the policy choices ,” Ataur said.
Discussing the security vacuum in the Middle East and the emergence of the Mecca Pact, he said more countries could gradually join the arrangement as states seek to respond to the regional security vacuum. He also argued that as the international system becomes increasingly multipolar, countries are likely to seek to fill such security gaps through collective efforts.
Asked whether Bangladesh could gain any strategic benefits from joining the pact, Ataur said the answer would depend on the broader strategic environment and a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.
He said a country joins a defence pact primarily to build deterrence against a potential aggressor, meaning the alliance itself must possess sufficient capacity, capability and credibility. These, he said, are the basic considerations Bangladesh should examine before deciding whether to join.
“We know that they have the capacity. We aren’t fully sure about the credibility of the pact. Before joining there, we must analyse this,” he said.
Ataur also discussed the potential diplomatic backlash Bangladesh could face if it joins the pact.
“Those who are concerned about the pact should be assured via diplomatic channels that the people of Bangladesh desire peace and development,” he said.
He also criticised the description of the arrangement as an “Islamic NATO”, arguing that the label reflects a Western-centric framing.
Dr Razia Sultana urged Bangladesh to take a cautious approach to the question of joining the Mecca Pact, pointing out that the country has historically avoided entering formal defence alliances.
“It is a defence cooperation. And historically Bangladesh has never joined a defence pact, rather focused on joining economic pacts. So, we shouldn’t rush into taking a decision,” she said.
She agreed that the regional security environment is constantly evolving, but said Bangladesh’s geographical position also needs to be taken into account.
“So, we should take a ‘wait and see’ policy,” Razia said.
She also raised questions about the potential consequences of the pact in the event of a wider regional conflict.
“If there is a war between Saudi and Iran, and Bangladesh joins the pact, which side would it take? Or, is this deal going to impact our relationship with US and European allies? We must think about these too,” she said.
Razia stressed that any decision should follow a careful assessment of the potential costs and benefits of membership. She also identified India as a major factor that Bangladesh would need to consider in evaluating the strategic implications of joining the pact.
Former diplomat Saquib Ali said he was not opposed to Bangladesh joining the Mecca Pact in principle, but warned against assuming that membership alone would make the country militarily stronger.
“Bangladesh must strengthen its internal defence capacity, as joining the pact won’t make us stronger,” he said.
Rather than immediately seeking full membership, Saquib suggested that Bangladesh could initially seek observer status.
“If Bangladesh gets to become an observer state for two years, it would be great,” he said.
He therefore recommended a “wait and see” approach, arguing that Bangladesh should first observe how the pact develops and assess its practical effectiveness before making a commitment.
Saquib also urged policymakers to examine the full text of the agreement before reaching any decision, particularly the obligations that membership would impose on Bangladesh.
He cautioned that the history of defence and political arrangements among Muslim-majority countries has not always been successful, suggesting that Dhaka should approach the pact with realistic expectations rather than assuming that shared religious identity alone would guarantee effective collective security.
On the potential geopolitical risks, Saquib warned that joining the pact could draw Bangladesh further into the strategic calculations of regional and global powers.
“If we join the pact, we would fall into the ‘India-Israel axis’s’ eye, which Bangladesh must take into account before joining,” he said.