Pakistan's Ishaq Dar heads to Bangladesh in first high-level visit since 2012

Pakistan’s foreign minister flew to Bangladesh on Saturday as the nations, once bitter enemies after they split in 1971, seek to rebuild ties with regional power balances shifting.Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is the most senior Pakistani official to visit Dhaka since 2012, with Islamabad calling it a “significant milestone in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations”.

The two Muslim-majority nations are expected to sign several agreements including on trade on Sunday.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar would meet with Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus.

Analysts say neighbouring India, which fought a four-day conflict with Pakistan in May, will be watching closely.

Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi turned icy in August 2024 after a mass uprising in Bangladesh ended the autocratic rule of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, prompting her to flee to India.

“Bangladesh had been one of India’s closest partners in its neighbourhood, and now it is flirting with India’s chief adversary,” said Michael Kugelman, a US-based analyst, ahead of the visit.

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Pakistan and Bangladesh began sea trade last year, expanding government-to-government commerce in February.

Islamabad’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan held talks Thursday in Dhaka, where he agreed to set up joint commissions to boost trade and investment.

On Friday, top military commanders from both nations met in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s military was accused of widespread atrocities during the 1971 war, when East Pakistan broke away to form Bangladesh.

Hundreds of thousands were killed -– Bangladeshi estimates say millions – and many in Dhaka still demand Islamabad apologise for the killings.

After 1971, Bangladesh leaned heavily on India, which almost encircles the country of 170 million people.

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But Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, is furious that India took Hasina in – where she remains and continues to refuse to attend her trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity.

“The toppling of Hasina was a strategic setback for India, and the improved relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan are a consequence of her ouster”, said Thomas Kean of the International Crisis Group.

Dhaka accused India this month of backing Hasina’s now-outlawed Awami League party, charges that New Delhi rejected, saying it “does not allow political activities against other countries to be carried out” from its soil.