EDITORIAL: Relations between the two South Asian cousins, Pakistan and Bangladesh, have been improving since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted last August in a students-led mass uprising and fled to India. Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka on Thursday for the resumption of formal talks after a 15-year-long hiatus. There have been several high-level informal exchanges, however.
Last September Bangladesh’s interim leader Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session; and again, in December at the D-8 Summit in Cairo. The next month, i.e. January last, a six-member military delegation, led by Lt-Gen S M Kamrul Hasan, made an exceptional visit to Pakistan and called on the three armed forces chiefs and also held discussions with other high-ranking officers. Then in February Bangladeshi navy participated in a multinational maritime exercises held off the Karachi coast.
These interactions are reflective of a strong mutual desire to revitalize relations. According to media reports, while the government-to-government talks were resumed two months ago, before then a container ship carrying 50,000 tons of rice had sailed from Karachi to Chittagong for the first time since 1971. And direct private trade had already started in November last. There is a lot of room for increasing bilateral trade which at present stands around $700 million annually. Meanwhile, visa procedures have been simplified as direct flights between the two countries are expected to be resumed soon. Our Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to go on a two-day visit to Bangladesh later this month. All this would have been unthinkable under Sheikh Hasina, who had no inclination to let the bygones be bygones, whether that involved citizens of her own country – in 2015, her government sent two opposition leaders to the gallows allegedly for committing war crimes during the 1971 war of secession — or relations with Pakistan which she regularly criticised. Cozying up to India, she ruled with an iron hand that finally led to her undoing and exile to India.
Some of the old issues, nevertheless, still linger on. Dhaka reportedly has been preparing to formally raise its demand for USF 4.52 billion in financial compensation from Pakistan. After Thursday’s meeting with Amna Baloch Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin said his side had raised historically “unsettled issues” with Pakistan, including a formal public apology for the events of 1971, as well as monetary compensation. None of this is likely to yield the sought outcome. However, the two sides also discussed expansion of trade and commerce as well as increasing cooperation in agriculture and other sectors. Baloch also called on Yunus who while emphasising strengthening of ties with Pakistan to boost mutual cooperation and explore trade and business potential, said “there are certain hurdles. We have to find ways to overcome those and move forward.” Both sides can do that without prejudice to their respective positions on old and unresolved emotive issues.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.