Will Bangladesh join Pakistan once again?

After Sheikh Hasina lost power in early August, an interim government came to power in Bangladesh, whose leader is Mohammad Yunus. His foreign policy seems completely different from the old policy of Dhaka. On one hand they are provoking tension with India, on the other hand they are erasing decades old enmity with Pakistan. Keeping New Delhi aside on many important issues, Dhaka started supporting Islamabad. So is it just the tension with India that is uniting these countries, or is there something else?

How anti-India sentiments flourished

In the year 1971, on the basis of discrimination, East Pakistan declared itself a separate country from Pakistan. There was a huge war, in which India supported Bangladesh. Only after this Dhaka could become independent. From the seventies till now, Pakistan and Bangladesh remained separated from each other, whereas Dhaka had good relations with India. But something changed from the beginning of this year. Opposition parties of Bangladesh started alleging that Sheikh Hasina won the elections with the help of India. There started talk of boycotting Indian goods. As the anger grew, it reached the level of protest and then a coup took place.

Now the leader of the interim government is Mohammad Yunus, who is associated with all those parties, which are known for their bigotry and especially anti-India attitude. Since August till now, there have been reports of violence against Hindus in the country. Overall, there are all signs of distance from India in the neighboring country. With this, Dhaka’s decades-old enmity with Islamabad seems to be ending.

How are you giving signals to forget the enmity?

Bangladesh’s exercise ‘Aman-2025’ with Pakistan Navy is going to be held at Karachi Port in February 2025. Let us tell you that during Hasina’s rule, there was a ban on any kind of military practice with Pakistan.

Business relations between the two are also getting stronger. Some time ago Pakistani cargo anchored at Chittagong Port. This maritime trade is going to grow further. According to the report of The Diplomat, Pakistan leader Sharif recalled the historical and cultural relations between the two countries and stressed that business between the two will increase in the coming days.

Apart from increasing bilateral relations, both the countries are emphasizing on reviving SAARC once again. The last meeting of SAARC was held in Nepal in 2014. There was talk of holding a summit in Islamabad in the year 2022, but after PM Narendra Modi boycotted the conference in anger against the Uri terror attack, other countries also withdrew their names. Now if Bangladesh and Pakistan together revive it, then it will be a matter of concern for India because at present India is in the strongest position among the South Asian countries, so the command of leadership should be in its hands.

The leader is influenced by the party associated with Pakistan.

The political situation there is also the reason behind Bangladesh suddenly making mistakes with Pakistan. The interim government there has the imprint of Jamaat-e-Islami. This extremist party was banned from participating in the elections. However, as soon as the Yunus government came to power, it removed all restrictions. This party is known for its close relations with Pakistan. It also has a wing in Islamabad, which has connections ranging from Hamas to many terrorist groups. That means at present all the factors for Pakistan’s return or at least its friendship are present in Bangladesh.

The interim government now seems to be trying to make itself a permanent government. On completion of 100 days of coming to power, interim leader Yunus released a video but there was no talk of the upcoming elections in Bangladesh in it. The rule is that the interim government conducts elections within three months. Now they seem to be cementing their ground by fueling the rising anti-India sentiments in the country. In this context, there is a continuous demand for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina.