Pakistan has taken an initiative to advance bilateral relations after a stagnation for 15 years while Bangladesh is also interested to normalise relations between the countries in the fields of trade and commerce, defence and others.
A foreign secretary level meeting between these two countries is going to be held in Dhaka today, Thursday. This is the first meeting of its kind in 15 years.
Bangladesh foreign secretary Md Jasim Uddin will lead the host delegation while his Pakistan counterpart Amna Baloch will lead the visiting side at the state guest house Padma.
Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka for the meeting on Wednesday.
Despite the creation of an ambience of taking forward the bilateral relation with Pakistan, there are discussions on resolving some unresolved historical matters between the two nations.
Several former and serving diplomats think alongside the challenges and potentials of a widescale relationship, it is important to reevaluate the past histories.
According to them, that is why it is important to stay focused on politics, commerce, communication in the public sphere, defence and other sectors at this crossroad of changing relations between Dhaka and Islamabad.
Amid strained relations- with no visits at the highest political and ministerial level- Bangladesh continued to send its delegations to Pakistan to attend international forums hosted there. Trade between the two countries remain uninterrupted. At the same time, cooperation between the two countries continued in important sectors like defence.
Such engagement especially trade ties, defence cooperation and visit of government delegations, although not of the high levels, would not have taken place without the approval of the government policymakers.
With Pakistan stepping up its communication at different levels in the aftermath of the student-people uprising on 5 August, a political shift they consider to be favourable, several former and current diplomats urged a careful assessment of how sustainable this renewed bilateral relation might be, especially after years of near-stagnation.
Bilateral relations
If the political context is taken into account, addressing unresolved issues from 1971 is essential for any meaningful progress in Dhaka-Islamabad relations. The unresolved issues are - Pakistan’s unconditional apology for the genocide committed in Bangladesh by the Pakistani army, and resolution of Bangladesh’s rightful demand of nearly USD 4 billion from the wealth of undivided Pakistan. The demand of Bangladesh includes the money of provident fund, saving certificates and other funds. Additionally, Bangladesh has long demanded the return of USD 200 million in foreign aid that was sent for victims of the devastating Bhola Cyclone in 1970.
This raises an important question: will Bangladesh choose to push ahead with bilateral engagement while setting aside these issues, or will it insist that they be addressed?
Bangladesh’s relation with neighbouring India is not going well since the political changeover in the face of the student-people uprising. Considering this situation, Pakistan has shown enthusiasm to enhance relations with Bangladesh.
It is assumed that Delhi played a significant role in keeping Dhaka-Islamabad relations at a distance in the past. Bangladesh did not take forward relations with Pakistan so as not to upset its ties with India.
When this correspondent contacted foreign secretary Touhid Hossain, he said it is too much to hope that the unresolved issues would be resolved overnight. At the same time, there is no scope to think we would take the relationship forward, scrapping the issues centering the liberation war.
According to him, Bangladesh is interested to pursue cooperation with Pakistan on an issue-based approach including commerce by reappraising the history.
However, several former and serving diplomats who have previously worked on Dhaka-Islamabad relations hinted that although Bangladesh continues to speak about the need to resolve the three unresolved issues, Pakistan shows little interest in settling them permanently.
Bangladesh also did not get any scope to raise the issues as no foreign secretary level meeting took place after the meeting in Islamabad in November 2010.
In this context, today’s meeting between Md Jasim Uddin and Amna Baloch presents Bangladesh with a opportunity to place these long-standing issues on the table.
Trade and Commerce
An analysis of official statistics from Bangladesh shows that bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan rose by 5 per cent in the 2022–23 fiscal year compared to the previous year. Trade volume increased from USD 919 million in 2021–22 to USD 956 million in 2022–23. However, due to the global economic slowdown, trade between the two countries declined again in the 2023–24 fiscal year.
Bangladesh imports raw materials for its ready-made garment (RMG) sector from Pakistan and also relies on Pakistan as a procurement source during food grain shortages. On the other hand, Pakistan imports raw jute, tea, raw and semi-processed leather, and hydrogen peroxide from Bangladesh.
According to diplomats, given the relative size of the two economies, the market potential, and the purchasing power of consumers, the trade volume between Bangladesh and Pakistan remains significantly below potential.
Despite mutual interest in strengthening economic ties, several barriers continue to hinder progress - namely high customs duties, non-tariff barriers, and restrictive visa policies.
Previously, Bangladesh required 100 per cent physical inspection of all goods imported from Pakistan at customs checkpoints. That provision was withdrawn after the political change on 5 August.
Business communities on both sides expect this move to have a positive impact on bilateral trade. Furthermore, the lifting of visa restrictions since August has also been welcomed by traders.
It is believed that if customs processes are streamlined, tariffs reduced, and trade regulations harmonised between the two countries, the path to increased trade will be significantly smoother.
Defence
Defence remains one of the key areas of cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan, even during periods of strained bilateral relations. According to diplomatic sources, collaboration in developing defence skills and human resources has continued uninterruptedly. Pakistan has regularly offered training for members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, including officers at various levels.
Since 2021 alone, Bangladeshi military personnel have participated in at least 80 training courses in Pakistan. In contrast, members of the Pakistani Armed Forces primarily attend the National Defence College (NDC) and staff courses in Bangladesh.
Over the past 15 years, Bangladesh has also procured ammunition and military software from Pakistan, and in recent years, Pakistan has expressed interest in supplying specialised weaponry to Bangladesh.
Diplomatic analysts believe that the sixth Foreign Secretary-level meeting - taking place in Dhaka after a gap of nearly 15 years - marks a significant step toward normalising bilateral relations.
However, they stress that for a sustainable relationship, both countries should define specific objectives and plan accordingly.
* The report, originally published in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza and Farjana Liakat