Last update:November 20, 2024, 11:38 AM IST

Since Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power and a new regime led by Muhammad Yunus was established, Dhaka has made an extra effort to establish previously defunct relations with Pakistan.

Pakistan has been in turmoil since the Muhammad Yunus regime took power in Bangladesh. (Photo: X @PTVNewsOfficial)

Bangladesh is playing a dangerous game. Since Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power and a new regime led by Muhammad Yunus was installed, Dhaka has made an extra effort to establish previously defunct relations with Pakistan. The most striking example of this growing cooperation came last week when the first Pakistani cargo ship docked at the port of Chittagong, Bangladesh. This is the first ever direct maritime trade connection between Pakistan and Bangladesh in 53 years since the Liberation War.

Previously, containers from Pakistan had to pass through a third country before reaching Bangladesh. Additionally, all Pakistani goods arriving in Bangladesh, even from third countries, had to undergo mandatory physical inspection on arrival, leading to long delays.

It is therefore not surprising to see the Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka jubilant over the arrival of a ship from his country at the Chittagong port. Syed Ahmed Maroof said the direct sea route was “a major step” in boosting trade in the region, adding that “the initiative will accelerate existing trade flows and foster new opportunities for businesses on both sides, from small traders to major exporters.

On the surface, this may appear to be two countries engaged in normal bilateral trade. So why are Indian security services worried since the Pakistani ship docked at a Bangladeshi port? You see, India has a right to be wary of the growing cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Let’s turn our clocks back to 2004.

The insurgency in northeast India was anything but under control. Pakistan and Bangladesh were rather openly collaborating against India. At the time, the Indian subcontinent was the scene of its largest arms trade. More than 1,500 crates of Chinese ammunition, worth an estimated $4.5 million to $7 million, were found in Chittagong port. Even if the munitions were of Chinese origin, the entire operation was allegedly orchestrated by Pakistan’s intelligence agency – the ISI. The consignment was to be delivered to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).

With the reactivation of inactive shipping lanes between Karachi and Chittagong, India fears that it will be much easier for Pakistan to smuggle weapons and narcotics into the northeast, which would particularly complicate the situation if this smuggling was heading towards sensitive areas like Manipur or the wider border with Myanmar. . With the situation in Myanmar already highly volatile, where Chinese-backed forces are making considerable progress, India has many reasons to be concerned.

What is more worrying is the fact that public opinion in Bangladesh has been turning anti-Indian for years. It could be argued that Sheikh Hasina’s ouster was in many ways linked to the fact that she was seen as an Indian proxy governing Bangladesh – a Muslim-majority nation. With his departure, there are indications that the new regime led by Muhammad Yunus is more interested in exploring partnerships with Pakistan. This could very well be the result of the significant influence of Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist organizations on the new power apparatus in Dhaka.

So while India is worried that Pakistan is trying to smuggle arms and ammunition into the Northeast, there are also fears that anti-India radical groups in Bangladesh are on the verge of s arm with sophisticated weapons.

Good times for Pakistan in Bangladesh under Yunus’ watch

Pakistan has been in turmoil since the Muhammad Yunus regime took power in Bangladesh. First, a worrying debate is raging in the corridors of power in Dhaka. Bangladesh’s Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman recently called for removing the word “secular” from the country’s Constitution. Bangladesh, plagued by brazen anti-Hindu violence since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, is increasingly resembling Pakistan, where also religious minorities find surviving daily life an insurmountable challenge.

In addition to the opening of the direct sea route, other signs of growing ties between the two nations have emerged. For example, on September 11, the 76th death anniversary of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was commemorated at the National Press Club in Dhaka. At the event, attendees praised Jinnah, with one even remarking, “Jinnah is the father of our nation” and saying that without Pakistan, “Bangladesh would not exist ” Today.

Meanwhile, a video of Dr Shahiduzzaman, professor of international relations at Dhaka University, has gone viral, in which he suggests a nuclear treaty with Pakistan as a counterweight to India.

Additionally, the visa procedure between the two countries has become simpler in recent months. In September, Islamabad said Bangladeshi citizens could travel to Pakistan without paying visa fees. Bangladesh has also placed a new order for artillery ammunition from Pakistan. The order includes 40,000 cartridges, 40 tons of RDX in the form of explosives wax and 2,900 high-intensity projectiles. While such orders are not unprecedented, officials in New Delhi noted that the quantities are significantly larger than usual.

Pakistan and Bangladesh are also planning a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) to discuss strengthening trade and defense cooperation. Reports indicate that the Joint Economic Commission could be tasked with setting up and operating a bilateral investment treaty.

Bangladesh, under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, is playing with India’s real strategic concerns. India has a right to be wary of Bangladesh’s growing bonhomie with Pakistan. After all, it is Dhaka that seems to forget all the atrocities that Islamabad perpetrated on “East Pakistan” before its liberation. As the lesson goes, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

The opinions expressed in the article above are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of News18.