Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain today said that he was more surprised than being concerned by the statement made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

"I have become more surprised than being concerned by the statement," he told reporters at the foreign ministry today.

At an event in Lucknow on September 5, Singh said India's armed forces need to be prepared for war in order to preserve peace.

Rajnath asked the country's top military leadership to analyse the current situation in Bangladesh and the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, predict problems that India may face in the future and stay prepared to deal with the "unexpected".

Presiding over the maiden Joint Commanders' Conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on the second and final day of India's top-level military leadership meeting, Rajnath "emphasised on the need of a broader and deeper analysis by the top military leadership in view of the situation along the northern border and the happenings in neighbouring countries which are posing a challenge to peace and stability in the region," according to a statement of India's defence ministry.

Asked about this, Touhid Hossain said, "I don't find any reason why he made such a comment."

Touhid said he in no way thought that there was any possibility of a war or conflict with India.

He said it was important to understand if Rajnath Singh made the comment for domestic consumption.

"His statement is like beating around the bush."

There is no reason for India to be prepared for the Rusia-Ukraine war. It is not fathomable how the Hamas and Ukraine issues are comparable to that of Bangladesh, he said.

"We will see why he made the statement."

Hossain assumed that such remarks might have been made for a domestic audience.

"We need to consider whether his statements were meant for internal consumption in India. In no way I do believe there is any apprehension of war between Bangladesh and India," he said.

Asked if Singh's statements posed a threat to Bangladesh, Hossain refrained from making any assumptions.

However, he said, "We will certainly monitor the situation to understand what is happening and why."

Describing Singh's remarks as evasive, Hossain said, "I see no reason for India's military preparations in connection to the war in Ukraine. The mention of Hamas also seems unrelated, and I don't understand how these issues compare with Bangladesh."

On the topic of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's potential political asylum, Hossain noted that any country has the right to grant asylum.

"We will observe the situation if it arises," he said.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed