EDITORIAL: In a very welcome move, Dhaka seems to be warming up to Pakistan's friendly advances. Not only has PM Sheikh Hasina accepted PM Imran Khan's offer to visit Pakistan, which was extended in July last year, she has also conveyed her government's desire for 'stronger trade and economic collaboration' with Islamabad. It's also very heartening to note that revival of bilateral mechanisms, like regular exchanges between foreign secretaries which broke down 13 years ago, is on the cards as well. It seems that the relationship that went into deep freeze with the beginning of Sheikh Hasina's second term as PM in 2009, and Bangladesh's resumption of the so-called 1971 war crimes trial, is beginning to thaw.
No doubt a big part in all this was played by PM Imran Khan's policy of friendly overtures to all countries in the region, especially since the deadlock with India has held progressive commerce in the sub-continent hostage for far too long. Yet an equally significant part was also played by freezing of Dhaka's relations with Delhi, especially after the enactment of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act in India last year, and warming of its relations with Beijing. The two countries' foreign ministries are now fine-tuning the details of Sheikh Hasina's visit to Pakistan, following which she has already invited PM Khan to Dhaka. This is perhaps the best way to leave all the bitterness of the past where it belongs - in the past. Pakistan has considered the matter of the dismemberment of the country half a century ago a closed chapter since the 1974 tripartite agreement for the repatriation of prisoners of war, and rightly so. Finally, it seems our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh are coming round to the same realisation.
It makes no sense for poor, third-world countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh to be at daggers drawn for so long, particularly when they are close neighbours as well. Their time and energy are much-better spent working out trade partnerships and mechanisms to exchange and train labour. It is already a monumental tragedy that despite platforms like SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), no progress worth mentioning has yet been made in terms of trade and commerce in this region. The biggest stumbling block in this process is India's habit of throwing its weight around, which does a good job of keeping all countries from getting too close to each other. So they are forced to settle for less profitable trade deals with countries far away instead of exploiting the commercial potential of this region first.
Let's not forget that something like this was unthinkable as recently as two years ago, when Dhaka was too busy cozying up to Delhi to give too much thought to Islamabad. And the way it has moved away from a country it considered a friend and close to one it did not hold in high regard goes to show the stark differences in the kind of politics and diplomacy practiced by Prime Ministers Imran Khan and Narendra Modi. Pakistan has also always extended the hand of peace and friendship to India, but it is now crystal clear that such things are not even remotely on Modi's to-do list. Therefore, while confrontation with India is inevitable till at least there is a change of government there, the most practical thing to do is to build bridges with other countries in South Asia; which is exactly what Pakistan has been trying to do for a while. And now it is beginning to show results.
Pakistan and Bangladesh can help each other in many ways. Both have similar production and export trends and, for once, they are moving close to a position where they can help each other instead of trying to cut the other's target markets. But such a dramatic turnaround, welcome though it is, will take a lot more than pleasant exchanges between the two PMs. It will need the rare mixture of strategic political will as well as the tactical ability to make needed policy adjustments on the ground. Hopefully, it will not be long before the people of the two countries can see the proof of this pudding for themselves.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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