The visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Bangladesh marks an important milestone in the warming of relations between two brotherly countries.
This was the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Dhaka in over a decade, and it carried immense symbolic as well as practical significance. Ever since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina Wajid — whose politics was deeply rooted in anti-Pakistan rhetoric and an overt tilt towards India — ties between Islamabad and Dhaka have entered a promising new phase.
At a reception in his honour at Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening ties with Bangladesh, stressing shared history, culture and regional interests that bind the two nations. His remarks, coupled with his meetings with various political stakeholders, including the Bangladeshi Jamaat-i-Islami, signal Islamabad’s seriousness about engaging Dhaka at multiple levels.In recent months, the progress has been tangible. Pakistan and Bangladesh commenced sea trade last year, which was further strengthened by expansion of government-to-government commerce earlier this year. High-level interactions between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Nobel laureate Prime Minister Yunus of Bangladesh have also set a positive tone.
The Commerce Ministers of both countries recently agreed to establish joint commissions to promote trade and investment, while top military commanders also met to build confidence and explore avenues of defence cooperation. The two sides even reached a diplomatic breakthrough by agreeing to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports. These developments show that Pakistan and Bangladesh are ready to open a new chapter based on pragmatism, mutual respect and shared aspirations. Both countries can learn from each other’s experiences in different fields while enhancing people-to-people and business-to-business contacts. With sincere efforts, bilateral trade can be expanded substantially, investments can flow both ways and academic exchanges can generate fresh ideas for progress.Equally important is the regional context. Pakistan’s firm response in May conflict has already shaken the myth of Indian hegemony in South Asia.
This has created space for regional countries to rethink their alignments and explore cooperation independently of New Delhi. In this regard, Ishaq Dar’s call for reviving SAARC is timely and well-founded. If India continues to block meaningful progress, then Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other willing nations must not hesitate to establish a new platform — under a new nomenclature — to address shared challenges such as climate change, poverty alleviation, energy cooperation and security concerns.
