New Delhi: Uncommon army actions are being observed in Bangladesh. An enormous Antonov AN-124 cargo airplane from Azerbaijan landed in Dhaka with out public disclosure of its cargo. The plane reportedly averted Iranian airspace earlier than arrival, a route typically used for delicate transfers. No official assertion has clarified what it carried or why its route was saved discreet.
Across the identical time, Bangladesh Navy Chief Admiral Mustaq Ahmed visited the Karachi Shipyard throughout the Pakistan Worldwide Maritime Exhibition and Convention (PIMEC) 2025. His conferences there focussed on naval cooperation and maritime business partnerships with Pakistan. Although described as routine, this outreach marks a brand new section of protection engagement between Dhaka and Islamabad.
Including to the intrigue, a U.S. army C-130 Hercules plane landed at Shah Amanat Worldwide Airport in Chattogram. Quickly after, greater than 100 American troopers checked right into a luxurious resort within the metropolis. There was no formal clarification for his or her presence. What raises eyebrows is Chattogram’s location, which is lower than 100 kilometres from India’s Siliguri Hall, the slim “hen’s neck” stretch that connects the mainland to the Northeast.
This hall is amongst India’s most important strategic vulnerabilities. Any shift in overseas army exercise close to it triggers fast concern. With Chattogram so shut, observers in New Delhi fear that growing U.S. and Pakistani presence in Bangladesh may alter the safety steadiness across the Siliguri axis.
Safety consultants see these actions as a part of a reorientation. Bangladesh appears to be constructing parallel army linkages, with Pakistan for shipbuilding and protection expertise, the US for coaching and logistics and probably with Azerbaijan for gear provide.
For India, the timing is delicate. The area already hosts rising rivalries amongst main powers within the Bay of Bengal. The brand new exercise on its japanese edge provides one other layer of uncertainty.
There is no such thing as a clear signal of hostile intent thus far. However arrivals of plane, naval collaboration and the motion of overseas troops close to India’s strategic hall has deepened unease in New Delhi. The lingering query stays: is Bangladesh positioning itself for a army enlargement or opening its doorways to exterior powers in a method that would sooner or later check India’s japanese safety protect?