Mecca Pact: Speakers against haste, urge consensus and preparation before joining

Bangladesh’s accession to the Mecca Defence Pact could create new opportunities for the country, but security experts have cautioned against rushing into a decision. They said any decision on potential membership should be based on political consensus and effective diplomatic preparation.

The views emerged at a discussion titled “Joining the Mecca Pact: Scrutinising Bangladesh’s Options”, held on Monday morning at the BDBL Building in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.

Organised by Voice for Reform, the event was attended by security experts, political analysts, diplomats, university academics and representatives of civil society.

Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar, chairman of the Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies (FSDS), said joining the Mecca Defence Pact could create opportunities to enhance Bangladesh’s defence capabilities. In particular, the country could strengthen its defence equipment supply chains, develop its military-industrial capacity and improve interoperability with participating countries.

Bangladesh could also benefit from joint training and intelligence-sharing, he argued.

The security expert also highlighted several potential risks associated with joining the pact. He said India might have to take Bangladesh into greater consideration in its military planning if Bangladesh became a member. At the same time, it was uncertain whether the United States’ current position would remain unchanged in the future.

According to Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar, there was no need for Bangladesh to rush into joining the Mecca Defence Pact.

He, however, pointed out that despite maintaining diplomatic relations and engagement with various countries for 55 years, Bangladesh still had no sufficiently reliable ally that would firmly stand by it at the UN Security Council on matters concerning the country’s security.

In such circumstances, he said, becoming part of a collective security framework could be a strategic consideration for Bangladesh.

Former diplomat Sakib Ali said joining the Mecca Defence Pact would not, by itself, resolve all of Bangladesh’s defence and security challenges. Although he believed the people of Bangladesh were in favour of the pact, he said the government should not make a decision by generating “hype and excitement” around it.

Before joining the Mecca Defence Pact, he said, a proper cost-benefit analysis of its potential advantages and risks was necessary.

The former diplomat also said the government was not yet making sufficient information available. Taking a decision to join the Mecca Pact without first making the issue clear to the public, he argued, would not be consistent with a democratic process.

Professor Sazzad Siddiqui, chairman of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Dhaka University, noted that Turkey is a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), while the United States maintains important relations with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Against this backdrop, he said, the US position and President Trump’s congratulatory message should be carefully analysed in the context of the Mecca Defence Pact.

Professor Siddiqui observed Bangladesh should not rush its decision to join the pact. Extensive discussions involving Parliament and experts, along with the development of a national consensus, were essential, he said.

Since the Mecca Defence Pact came under discussion, many of its opponents have drawn comparisons with Article 5 of NATO. They argue that under Article 5, an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against the alliance as a whole, requiring other members to respond in support of the member under attack.

Professor Shahab Enam Khan of the Department of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University, however, said that in the case of the Mecca Defence Pact, Article 5 essentially establishes a framework for determining the collective response if a member state comes under attack. It does not, however, automatically create an obligation for member states to undertake military action.

Professor Shahab Enam Khan viewed Bangladesh’s potential accession to the Mecca Defence Pact positively. In his view, the decision should be based on effective diplomatic preparation and political consensus.

John F Danilowicz, former deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Dhaka, described the Mecca Defence Pact as an important test for Bangladesh. The decision, he said, would demonstrate how the BNP government’s “Bangladesh First” policy would be translated into practice.

He said the government would have to demonstrate how “Bangladesh First” could be transformed from a broad policy position into concrete and specific decisions.

The discussion was chaired by political scientist Dilara Choudhury. Fahim Mashrur, co-coordinator of Voice for Reform, delivered the welcome address.

Others who spoke included FSDS Chief Research Fellow Brigadier General (retd) Shafayat Ahmed, human rights activist Ruby Amatullah, Nexus Defence and Justice President Brigadier General (retd) Hasan Nasir, journalist Faisal Mahmud, NCP (National Citizen Party) leader Monira Sharmin, and Syed Hasibuddin Hossain, general secretary of the Rashtra Sanskar Andolan (State Reform Movement), among others.