Aug 17, 2026 17:39 pm IST

Opinion | Why A 'Bangladesh' Proposal By Turkish Media Should Worry India

A recent article in Turkish media illustrates how Ankara is turning into a strategic threat for India and its neighbourhood

Aditi Bhaduri Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Soon after the Mecca pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey was signed, Turkish media Yeni Safak published a piece about the prospects of Bangladesh joining the pact. Without a byline, the article took full cognisance of India's discomfort at such a proposition but insisted that it would move Bangladesh "beyond bilateral asymmetry (with India)", which would signal a "mature, independent, foreign policy". "Pakistan and Turkiye would welcome this as a natural expansion of Islamic defence cooperation, while India would recalibrate its traditional approach to its eastern neighbour".

Now, while not too much should be read into a media piece, Yeni Safak is not just another Turkish publication. It is an Islamist one, and close to the current ruling dispensation in Turkey. One of its most defining features in recent times has been its overwhelming focus on India, highlighting some of the most insignificant events in the country that give Turkey the opportunity to ridicule it. Suffice it to say that in this pursuit, it does not spare India's leadership.

Since 2024, the publication has become one of the most ardent supporters of Bangladesh's engineered uprising and is virulently anti-Hasina, only a logical extension of its anti-India stance. Given this background, Yeni Safak's article cannot be entirely dismissed as absurd. In fact, it is quite plausible that Turkey may try to get Bangladesh to join the pact, as its leaders have said that the deal is open to other interested countries. Turkey is also trying hard to develop defence relations with Bangladesh, along the lines of its defence ties with Pakistan.

And this is where India should be wary. The Mecca defence deal will be an enabler for Turkey, which is becoming an increasingly big security challenge for India.

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