Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman and Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus’ Principal Secretary Mohammad Siraz Uddin Miah will visit China on June 27, the very day that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s meeting at Qingdao ends, Northeast News has reliably learnt.
Khalilur Rahman, who is currently in the United States, will be in China till June 29 and is expected to have “consultations” on Dhaka-Beijing cooperation.
What is, however, surprising is that Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman’s visit to Beijing now stands cancelled. Gen Zaman was invited to visit China by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) top brass.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath and NSA Ajit Doval will reach Qingdao on June 25 to attend the SCO defence ministers’ meeting, which will be attended by his Pakistani counterpart, Khwaja Asif. However, it is unlikely that Singh and Asif will meet, considering the level of hostility between New Delhi and Islamabad in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.
Singh may meet China’s Defence Minister, Admiral Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
There is no official word on whether the Indian and Bangladeshi NSAs will meet before the departure of the former to New Delhi.
However, Khalilur Rahman’s visit is being seen by Bangladeshi strategic analysts as important as he is expected to discuss the now-aborted “humanitarian corridor” issue. Conceived by the United Nations, the “humanitarian corridor” was to be close to the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Khalilur Rahman, who has been maintaining clandestine ties with the Arakan Army leadership, had earlier strongly advocated the use of the “humanitarian corridor” supposedly for sending humanitarian assistance to the Rakhine State. But he had to abandon the proposed “humanitarian corridor” plan in the face of strong objections and disapproval by the Bangladesh Army in general and Gen Waker-uz-Zaman in particular.
