Mecca Pact and Bangladesh: Why Dhaka is keeping the door open to 'Islamic Nato'

In August, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye unveiled what has informally been dubbed the “Islamic Nato”. Named after Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement or simply the Mecca pact—is based on the principle that an armed attack on one member would be considered an attack on all three, similar to Nato's Article 5.Since the pact was announced, Bangladesh has signalled that it could join the grouping. Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has not publicly commented on the possibility, but his foreign minister and junior ministers have said Dhaka is “interested” and would respond “positively” if invited.Against that backdrop, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman’s invitation to Tarique Rahman to visit the Kingdom is also likely to attract added attention.What lies behind Dhaka’s interest in the pact is less clear.