Old Wounds, New Embrace

Pakistan’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, just completed his two-day trip to Bangladesh and held a wide range of talks with the interim Dhaka leadership on a variety of areas. However, the high point of the visit was Ishaq Dar’s assertion that Pakistan had already apologised twice for the genocide in Bangladesh in the run-up to their liberation in 1971 — once, when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto paid a visit to Dhaka in 1974, and later, when President Pervez Musharraf made a subsequent visit (2002). This issue came up time and again when the Bangladesh side consistently pressed for a formal apology from Pakistan for the excesses perpetrated, which Pakistan has evaded to date. Ishaq Dar’s feeble and unconvincing response was to that touchy point.

On his part, Dar didn’t seem to relent and diplomatically avoided the sensitive issue by being conspicuously elusive. While prior to his departure for Islamabad, the Pakistani Foreign Minister described the visit as highly productive, the liberals and secular forces in Dhaka have expressed their frustration and ire over Pakistan’s refusal or reluctance to tender any apology. Crucially, this has further polarised the social fabric in Bangladesh, with the pro-freedom segments becoming more vociferous in reiterating their demand for a formal apology, with the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) passing a resolution challenging the Pakistani audacity, claiming that the apology issue was already resolved twice and now stands settled, leaving no scope for any fresh apology. Sensitive Bangladeshis also appear to be upset that on the Bangladesh soil, Dar had the gumption of making such an insensitive statement.

The visiting Foreign Minister met a series of leaders of the political parties holding extensive talks, including with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), National Citizens Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), etc. Reaching out to the political leaders when the elections are only five months away by the Deputy PM shows the extent of interest Pakistan is taking in the internal affairs of Bangladesh. This looks extraordinary. Here, it may be pointed out that ever since Sheikh Hasina left the political scene, Pakistan has been courting Bangladesh with immense vigour to befriend its erstwhile eastern part. The Chief Advisor of the interim Government, Muhammad Yunus, had met the Pakistani Prime Minister more than once at foreign locations, calling for deeper cooperation between the countries.

Dar’s visit, after it was deferred due to the developments linked to the Pahalgam terror attack, now came at a time when Dhaka is witnessing a lot of heat due to the upcoming elections, deteriorating relations with India and a prevailing uncertainty. His meeting with BNP leaders and a “one-on-one” meeting with party leader Khaleda Zia can’t go unnoticed. It’s very much in the public domain that the BNP always received wholehearted support from Pakistan in practically all spheres of activity. It is also widely believed that Tarique Rahman, who has been in London for the last several years, has also been patronised by Pakistan and its specialised agencies with a particular interest in India in mind. Also, when BNP was in power for long spells, it had all kinds of help from Pakistan and crucially, on some areas which were detrimental to the security interests of India. The same holds good for the Jamaat, whose leaders held talks with Ishaq Dar. For the NCP, it was the first exposure, perhaps meeting a Pakistani leader of such a significant stature. Their approach, however, was very amateurish.

Ishaq Dar met his Bangladeshi counterpart, Md Touhid Hossain and discussed several issues of mutual importance. Touhid is believed to have said that Bangladesh would not listen to anything that India says, making it amply clear that India is irrelevant in the context of Bangladesh-Pakistan relations. Or he at least insinuated that. This fact needs to be noted by the Indian policymakers.

A string of deals and MOUs between both the sides were signed: a) Cultural Exchange Programme between two countries; b) Formation of a Joint Working Group for Trade between the two countries; c) Collaboration between the national news agencies Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha and Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation of the two countries; d) Cooperation between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad of Pakistan; and e) Cooperation between the Foreign Service Academies of the two countries and an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders of the two countries. Ishaq Dar also met Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and held crucial talks. Yunus presented a book to his Pakistani guest, which is on the July 2024 uprising. It is presumed that the book contains details of the upheaval leading to Hasina’s ouster. The message, by presenting a book on the downfall of Hasina, is loud and clear, needing no elaboration.

Now that the high-voltage visit is over, Pakistani media is upbeat over the “success” of the visit, which seems high in optics and low in substance. One of the Pakistani news sites says that both sides have reaffirmed the deepening of ties with renewed cooperation. They have also highlighted the “knowledge corridor” Pakistan has pledged to Bangladesh, under which 500 annual scholarships will be granted to Bangladeshi students for higher studies in Pakistan.

Interestingly, Masood Kamal, a Dhaka-based journalist, while analysing the Ishaq Dar visit, says that Pakistan’s lecture to Bangladesh on how to conduct elections is completely misplaced. How can Pakistan guide Bangladesh on free and fair elections when its own election process is suspected of being unfair? It’s quite obvious that Pakistan is ecstatic over Ishaq Dar’s visit, describing it time and again as having reinforced its ties with Bangladesh, and the media is also going with huge editorials in ‘Dawn’ and other prominent newspapers. However, only time will tell and determine the real outcome of the visit. Hence, Dhaka does not need to be unnecessarily euphoric about the visit. It must remember the mindless violence unleashed by Pakistani occupation forces during the liberation struggle and other grotesque atrocities, and therefore, Bangladesh shouldn’t fall into any allurement trap lest it proves costly in the long run. It would be interesting to watch how long this honeymoon lasts!

The writer is a retired IPS officer, Adviser NatStrat, and a former National Security Advisor in Mauritius. Views expressed are personal