 "After shipping link, Bangladesh and Pakistan aim to have direct flight connectivity")
The fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh has brought good news to Pakistan as the Islamabad-Dhaka ties have got a new boost not seen before. Pakistan-sympathiser outfits such as Bangladesh Jamaat-i-Islami have revived their activities in Bangladesh. The Jamaat saw a ban lifted on its operations. Bangladesh and Pakistan recently established shipping contacts. A delegation of the Pakistan Army’s Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) also visited Dhaka. Now, the two countries are set to launch direct flight connectivity soon, Bangladesh’s envoy to Pakistan confirmed.
“This significant development is set to enhance connectivity and foster stronger economic and cultural ties between the two countries,” Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal Hussain Khan, said.
New-found friendship
This came after his meeting with Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Nasir Mansoor Qureshi. The high commissioner said that cargo flights between Dhaka, Karachi, and Lahore would commence soon, further facilitating trade and business exchanges between the two South Asian nations.
Last month, Bangladesh’s interim government’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, said he wished to improve ties with Pakistan. Yunus’s outreach to Pakistan came after meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a conference in Egypt.
There’s business too
Hussain emphasised Bangladesh’s commitment to boosting business ties with Pakistan. He said that Pakistanis can easily obtain Bangladeshi visas online.
The high commissioner said that the two countries can trade in various sectors, with Pakistan exporting goods such as sugar, steel, surgical instruments, cement, dry fruits, pink salt, milk products, marble, and coal to Bangladesh.
“In turn, Pakistan can import items like tea and jute from Bangladesh, creating a complementary trade dynamic between the two countries,” he said.
Bangladesh’s Yunus met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December last year during the D8 summit in Egypt. Both leaders emphasised to deepen cooperation in areas such as the sugar industry and dengue management.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsA Pakistani cargo ship docked at Chittagong Port in November for the first time since Bangladesh’s independence, and in October, Bangladesh ended the mandatory 100 per cent physical inspection for Pakistani imports, indicating a positive shift in trade relations.
Yunus took a critical stance towards India and accused it of exaggerating reports of violence.
India watching it
The sudden bonhomie between Bangladesh and Pakistan after a student agitation toppled Hasina as the prime minister in Dhaka is being closely watched by India. Hasina adopted a circumspect approach in dealing with Pakistan for historical reasons and also to maintain a distance from fundamentalist organisations that push jihadist ideology to sponsor terrorism.
Incidentally, the Bangladesh-Pakistan bonhomie also comes against the backdrop of straining ties between Dhaka and New Delhi following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. In the aftermath, reports came that fundamentalist elements in Bangladesh targeted its minority Hindu community in weeks after Hasina’s ouster. Pakistan has also been accused of not acting against fundamentalist outfits that target its minority Hindu community.
In the face of a mass protest, Hasina fled to India in early August 2024. She is staying in-exile in India, with the Yunus government demanding her extradition. But a formal extradition process has not been sought by Bangladesh. Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was seen as the leader who created Bangladesh to save the Bengali people from the oppression of then-West Pakistan leaders.
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