Why Bangladesh Leaning towards Makkah Accord?

The majority of Muslim population of Bangladesh prays facing the Kaaba Sharif in Makkah. In religious terms, facing the Kaaba is the Qibla. There is no problem in accepting Makkah as the Qibla for prayers. But now it seems that Makkah is being made the Qibla of politics.
In the Middle East, a war-mongering power is Israel, a poison boil for the Muslim world. In addition to Palestine, Israel is behaving belligerently with other countries in the Middle East. On the pretext that Hamas leaders are hiding, Israel launched a missile attack on Qatar in September 2025. This shows that no country in the Middle East is safe from Israel’s aggressive behaviour. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the Middle East or Morocco and Sudan in North Africa may have understood this in advance and have made the so-called Abraham Accords with Israel. Other Arab countries have entered into defence agreements with the United States. As a result, American military bases have been established in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, Türkiye and Iraq. Such a massive military presence of the US in the Middle East has embarrassed Iran, Yemen, Palestine and Lebanon. As a result, Iran has stood against the current. Not only that, but Iran has also started fuelling armed political groups like the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Egypt’s dominance in Yemen and the rise of the Houthis have forced Saudi Arabia to think anew about its security. Still, it could not consider the Abraham Accords or the American security umbrella adequate. It turned to Pakistan as an out-of-the-box solution, and in 2025, signed a defence agreement with it. Pakistan is the fourteenth largest country in terms of military strength. Israel and Iran are below it. If troop numbers are considered, Pakistan’s position is even higher
The text of the Saudi-Pak defence agreement was not published, but according to Saudi sources, the agreement states that “aggression against one means aggression against the other”. It has been said that Türkiye can join this agreement at any time. In February 2026, as retaliation, Iran targeted American military bases, which include American installations in Saudi Arabia. Two years ago, in March 2023, diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were restored through Chinese mediation, which had been damaged since 2016. But during the war, Saudi Arabia could not rely on the newly normalised relationship with Iran. The Iran War changed the security landscape in the Middle East. The UAE withdrew from OPEC, and Pakistan joined the mediation to stop the war. Therefore, considering the strategic equation, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia realised the need to strengthen mutual defence relations. In August 2026, the three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Pakistan has a large military. It is also a nuclear power. Türkiye has a reputed defence industry. It is the top in Europe in terms of military strength, and its position in NATO is second only to the US. Therefore, if Saudi Arabia’s investment capacity is added, the trilateral military alliance will undoubtedly unbalance the military equation in the region.
The most significant part of this agreement is collective security. Just like Article Five of NATO, this trilateral agreement states, “Any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”
It is being said that many more countries may join this agreement. Along with Egypt and Kuwait, the name of Bangladesh has also been heard. Humayun Kabir, who was recently sworn in as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and who was controversial about his foreign citizenship, said that Bangladesh has ‘received an invitation from the three signatory countries to join this agreement’. No reference to this invitation has been found anywhere else. However, the words of the minister of state cannot be dismissed either. He also indicated that Bangladesh ‘may join this agreement’. Then, the question is, will it be appropriate for Bangladesh to join?
Bangladesh has already joined the Saudi-led Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance on 30 June this year. The alliance’s joint declaration states, “The founding states affirm that establishing this multinational maritime defence alliance represents a strategic step towards enhancing maritime security in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden; consolidating defence cooperation among member states; and supporting regional stability and prosperity.” Surprisingly, there has been no loud talk about this in Bangladesh. There has been no discussion or debate about it either in the National Parliament or in any other public sphere. Since its birth, Bangladesh has not been a part of any military agreement. The Maritime Defence Alliance is definitely a military sort of arrangement.
Article 25 of the Constitution of Bangladesh clearly states, “The State shall base its international relations on the principles of respect for national sovereignty and equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, peaceful settlement of international disputes, and respect for international law and the principles enunciated in the United Nations Charter, and based on those principles shall strive for the renunciation of the use of force in international relations and for general and complete disarmament.”
Bangladesh has never been involved in a war with any country in its 55 years of existence. Bangladesh’s foreign policy makes such a possibility unlikely. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is engaged in a military conflict with the Yemeni Houthis. There is also a threat of war from Iran and Israel. The Kurds have a long-standing armed conflict with Türkiye. It is also involved in the war in Syria. Again, although there is no war with Israel, there is a threat of war. Pakistan is constantly engaged in a war with India. Armed conflict over Kashmir is a daily occurrence. Pakistan also has armed conflicts with the Baloch and the Taliban. Therefore, military agreements may be crucial for Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, but not for Bangladesh. If any of these countries gets involved in a war with any country for any reason, according to the collective security article of the agreement, Bangladesh will automatically be implicated. In other words, if Bangladesh joins this agreement, it will be dragged into a war unnecessarily. How can a government that has declared ‘Bangladesh First’ in its foreign policy lead Bangladesh to join another country’s war?
The Armed Forces of Bangladesh have earned a good reputation by serving in UN peacekeeping forces. This reputation can be tarnished if Bangladesh joins in a war that is not its own. This can diminish Bangladesh’s demand as a ‘peacekeeper’.
There is also a debate about how useful the Makkah Agreement itself will be in maintaining regional peace. On the contrary, it may create division among the Arab countries. This may eventually benefit Israel. The US may prefer the situation because if war resumes in the Middle East, at least Türkiye and Pakistan will no longer have an excuse to stand on Iran’s side. Therefore, be careful, saints! Before responding to any initiative from a Muslim-majority country, please think about ‘Bangladesh first’.
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The writer is a former Bangladeshi Ambassador