Referring to ongoing talks between Bangladesh and Pakistan on the former's potential purchase of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, India on Friday said it is closely monitoring developments that might have implications for its national security.
"We keep a close watch on all developments that have a bearing on our national security," said Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.
Asked about Bangladesh’s “potential interest” in procuring the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft from Pakistan, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said, “I can’t talk about this today. Talks are underway. You will know once things are finalized.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with Adviser Hossain and reviewed bilateral matters and discussed recent regional developments.
They also appreciated the timely convening of the Extraordinary Session of the OIC CFM on January 10 in Jeddah.
Responding to a question on direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi from January 29, and whether Dhaka needed New Delhi's permission to use Indian airspace, Jaiswal said, "Such issues will be dealt with as per air services agreement with Bangladesh."
On minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA Spokesman said India continued to observe "a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on homes and business establishments of minorities by extremists in Bangladesh," adding that "such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly."
Jaiswal also said India had noticed "a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, personal vendettas, political differences and other extraneous reasons."
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Jaiswal said that "such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators" and further causes fear and insecurity among minorities.
"We have repeatedly addressed this issue in earlier briefings," Jaiswal said.
According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, the reported cases of communal violence stood at 51, including 10 murders, in December 2025.