Pakistan moves closer to Bangladesh as India watches warily

The remarkable political improvements in Bangladesh that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year have revealed a number of surprises, including Dhaka’s growing kinship with Pakistan, a former adversary.

After centuries of tense relations, the two nations finally started trading directly for the first time last month, with Dhaka importing 50, 000 kilograms of grain from Pakistan. There are reports of cooperation on security issues, as well as the revival of strong planes and military connections, and the resumption of visa applications.

Heavy, agonizing historical relationships exist between the nations, which are geographically disjointed by India. The conflict between them dates back to 1971, when Bangladesh, finally known as East Pakistan, fought to become independent of Islamabad. During the nine-month conflict that led to the formation of Bangladesh, India supported the Bengali insurgents.

Although the effects of that time are still pervasive, Dhaka and Islamabad forged friendly relations between 2001 and 2006, when a coalition of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ) took power.

This changed as a result of Hasina’s 15-year law starting in 2009, when she was firmly supported by Delhi and kept a distance from Pakistan. However, relations appear to be melting after she fled to India following widespread protests against her state.

Former older Bangladeshi diplomat Humayun Kabir says the Pakistan-Bangladesh relationship has been on a somewhat difficult trajectory for the past 15 years. The relationship appears to be resuming as” two normal neighbors” at this time.

The advancements are being carefully watched, especially in India, which has long had angry relations with Pakistan.

Since Hasina’s departure, Dhaka and Delhi have had shaky connections. Bangladesh’s needs for her extradition to face charges of crimes against humanity, cash fraud, and fraud have not been addressed by India. Hasina denies the charges leveled at her.

Some researchers believe that Dhaka and Islamabad’s recent resumption of diplomatic relations is a wise move.

Pakistan and Bangladesh are currently in a military connection. They want to act as a collective voice against India’s supremacy, says Ayesha Siddiqa, a professor from Pakistan and top brother at King’s College in London.

Other than the introduction of direct business, there have been other improvements.

At various international forums over the past few months, Muhammad Yunus, the interim leader of the Bangladeshi authorities, met with Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan.

Additionally, there is a developing martial partnership.

In January, a top-ranking member of the Bangladeshi military committee visited Pakistan and met with Asim Munir, a renowned general of the military. A global sea exercise that Pakistan organized off the Karachi coastline in February also saw the participation of the Bangladeshi navy.

Veena Sikri, India’s great director to Bangladesh between 2003 and 2006, refers to the growing kinship between Islamabad and Dhaka as a “déjà nostalgia” time.

She claimed that during her time in Dhaka, India has repeatedly raised the issue of” Indian insurgents getting trained inside Bangladesh with the support of the ISI [Pakistan’s intelligence agency ] and a section of the Bangladeshi military.”

She claimed that we even gave Bangladeshi authorities information.

Authorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh denied these allegations at the time.

Armed rebel groups from India’s north-eastern state can cross over from Bangladesh relatively easily because of the longer, porous border between India and Bangladesh. However, Hasina’s Awami League, which came into power in 2009, stepped up its pressure on these organizations and destroyed their foundations.

Therefore, India is” a significant safety problem” if Bangladesh and Pakistan resume their military ties, according to Ms. Sikri.

” It’s more than just a military marriage,” he added. She continues,” Muslim creation is also reviving relations with Bangladeshi Islamist functions like Jamaat-e-Islami, which supported Islamabad during Bangladesh’s freedom war.”

The press office of the Yunus administration has categorically refuted reports that top ISI officials have visited Dhaka in Indian media. Additionally, it referred to “baseless” reports that claimed Muslim agents were attempting to restart a camp for an American insurgent group in Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s defense did not respond to BBC’s inquiries into India’s worries about the ISI’s potential future presence in Bangladesh.

Given Bangladeshi officials ‘ close economic and language ties, Dhaka can’t afford to take an anti-India position, claim experts.

Bangladeshi diplomats contend that ties with Pakistan cannot become normalized until problems with the conflict from 1971 are resolved.

Hunderttausende of Bengalis were killed and tens of thousands of people were raped during the conflict. In what is regarded as a degrading section of Islamabad, more than 90, 000 Bangladeshi security and human officers gave themselves to the joint order of Indian and Bangladeshi causes.

Islamabad has shown no impulse to do so, despite the fact that Bangladesh has asked Pakistan to formally apologize for the crimes committed during the conflict.

Past Bangladeshi minister Mr. Kabir said,” Pakistan needs to own the crimes that occurred during the democracy war.” In a number of bilateral discussions with Pakistan, we also raised the issue of how the two countries ‘ possessions were divided prior to and after 1971.

Even ex-Pakistani military personnel like Ikram Sehgal agree that” the Bangladeshis ‘ demand that Pakistanis apologize for what transpired in 1971 is the main stumbling block in bilateral ties.”

However, the retired Pakistan army major insists that Bangladesh should also address the issue of attacks by Bengalis on Urdu speakers during the struggle for independence.

” I was a witness to the horrors that occurred in East Pakistan against the Urdu-speaking Bihari people,” Mr. Sehgal, who presently resides in Karachi, told the BBC.

Although history casts a shadow on ties between Dhaka and Islamabad, economists suggest that the two nations can first concentrate on boosting bilateral trade, which is currently less than$ 700 million ( £540 million ), primarily in Pakistan’s favor.

According to Sabrin Beg, an associate professor of economics at the University of Delaware,” Pakistan’s over 250 million people is a good market for Bangladesh in the medium to longer term.”

She points out that there are now restrictions, including higher taxes on both edges, and businesses and exporters must deal with immigration and travel obstacles. But, Ms. Beg claims that improved diplomatic democratic and trade relations will ease these restrictions.

Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister of Pakistan, likely to discuss some of these problems when he travels to Dhaka in April. A new government does have a unique collection of foreign policy objectives and votes are anticipated to take place in Bangladesh by the end of the year.

Whatever happens, Delhi is worried that its north-eastern states will need a firm and friendly Bangladesh because it is so concerned about the situation.