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OPINION                                                          SEPTEMBER 26, 2025        |  The Indian Eye 11



        Commission in Dhaka, during which
        he underlined Pakistan’s “strong
        desire to forge a cooperative and
        forward-looking relationship with
        Bangladesh”. He also discussed the
        commonality  of  views  on  several
        regional and international issues,
        including the revival of the South
        Asian Association of Regional Co-
        operation (SAARC).
            During his stay in Dhaka, Dar
        tried to tick as many boxes as possi-
        ble. Besides meeting the Chief Advi-
        sor Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Ad-
        visor Touhid Hossain and Commerce
        Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin, he
        received  three  separate  delegations
        comprising leaders of Bangladesh Ja-
        maat-e-Islami, Bangladesh National-
        ist Party (BNP) and the National Cit-
        izen Party (NCP).
            Dar also met ailing BNP Chair-
        person and former Prime Minister
        Khaleda Zia and visited Jamaat-e-Is-
        lami  Emir  Dr  Shafiqur  Rahman  at
        his residence. The meetings with the   The situation and circumstances in Bangladesh have changed a lot since the ouster and exile of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and a ban on the
        BNP Chairperson and the Jamaat                              Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act in May 2025 (File photo)
        Emir were more than ‘courtesy’ calls.
        These, in fact, were intended to re-
        vive the old linkages with pro-Paki-  Foreign Service Academy of Ban-  ic for both countries. Later, Gen-  of pre-1971 assets.
        stan forces in Bangladesh in a com-  gladesh.                       eral Pervez Musharraf came here       The bilateral relations between
        pletely changed political scenario in   • An MoU between the Associated   and  publicly  and  openly  addressed   the two countries may have been wit-
        the country. Both the BNP and Ja-   Press of Pakistan and the Bangla-  the matter. So, it has been settled   nessing some warmth in a completely
        maat are historically known for their   desh Sangbad Sangstha.      twice—once in 1974, and again in the   changed political situation at home
        pro-Pakistan and anti-India stance.   • A Cultural Exchange Programme.  early 2000s.                  in Bangladesh, but the ghost of 1971
        It is not a coincidence that during   Besides, Pakistan  launched the   The situation and circumstanc-  still casts a shadow and a kind of un-
        the Khaleda Zia government, India–  ‘Pakistan–Bangladesh  Knowledge  es in Bangladesh have changed a lot   ease in Dhaka and Islamabad. The
        Bangladesh relations were strained   Corridor’ to grant 500 scholarships   since the ouster and exile of Sheikh   people of Bangladesh have not for-
        and  deteriorated  due  to  increased   to Bangladeshi students to pursue   Hasina in August 2024 and a ban on   gotten the horrors of 1971. It would
        cross-border terrorism and illegal   higher studies in Pakistan. A quarter   the Awami League under the An-  not be easy for any government in
        migration.                        of these fellowships will be reserved   ti-Terrorism Act in May 2025, yet   Bangladesh  to move ahead without
            During Ishaq Dar’s crucial meet-  for students pursuing medicine. Pa-  the people of Bangladesh are not   resolving the critical issues to the sat-
        ings with Muhammad Yunus, Touhid   kistan’s Foreign Office also said that   open to any compromise on critical   isfaction of the people of Bangladesh.
        Hossain and Sheikh Bashir Uddin, a   100 Bangladeshi civil servants would   issues with Pakistan. This was the   Dr Ashish Shukla is Associate Fellow at
        wide range of issues were discussed,   be trained in Pakistan for the next   primary reason behind the rebuttal   MP-IDSA, New Delhi. Prior to joining
        including the revival of old connec-  five years.                   of Ishaq Dar’s claims on the unset-  MP-IDSA, Dr. Shukla was associated
        tions, youth linkages, connectivity,   There was no progress on the   tled issues of 1971 by Foreign Advi-  with Amity University, Noida where he
        trade and economic cooperation,   key unsettled legacy issues, including   sor Touhid Hossain. At the Foreign   taught courses in Defense & Strategic
        people-to-people relations, revital-  a formal unconditional apology for   Service Academy in Dhaka, later in   Studies. He has also been Research
        ization of regional cooperation, re-  crimes  committed  by  the  Pakistan   the day, Touhid Hossain categorical-  Fellow at Indian Council of World
        juvenation of SAARC, resolution of   Army, a fair division of assets and   ly rejected Ishaq Dar’s claim, saying,   Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi, during
        Palestine and Rohingya issues, etc.  repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.   “I definitely do not agree. If we had   March 2017-January 2021. Dr Shukla
                                          There is a strong feeling in Dhaka   agreed, the problem would have
            The visit resulted in the signing of   that Islamabad must apologize to the   been solved.” The Daily Star on 25   has taught courses on India-Pakistan
        the following agreements, MoUs and   people of Bangladesh who suffered   August published a strong editorial   Relations to mid-level officers at the
                                                                                                              Border Security Force (BSF) Academy,
        other instruments:                gravely at the hands of the Pakistan   rejecting Pakistan’s unsubstantiat-  Tekanpur, Gwalior, M.P.
        • An agreement on Visa Abolition   Army  during  the  1971  Liberation   ed claim. The paper disagreed with
          for  Diplomatic  and  Official  Pass-  War. Under Sheikh Hasina, the Awa-  Ishaq Dar’s assertion that the 1971   Views expressed are of the author and
          port Holders.                   mi League apologized as a pre-con-  issues were resolved. It wrote:  do not necessarily reflect the views of
        • An MoU on the Establishment of   dition to any meaningful progress    We do not know where Mr Dar    the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
          a Joint Working Group on Trade.  and development in the bilateral re-  was getting his facts from, but history   Government of India.
        • An MoU for Cooperation between   lations. Ishaq Dar, while interacting   and media reporting over the years
          the Institute of Strategic Studies   with journalists on 24 August in Dha-  show a constant pattern of Pakistani   The full version of this article first
          Islamabad (ISSI) and the Bangla-  ka, stated:                     authorities ignoring demands for an   appeared in the Comments section
          desh Institute of International and   On the matter of unresolved is-  official acknowledgement and apolo-  of the website (www.idsa.in) of
          Strategic Studies (BISS).       sues, what I want to say is that the   gy for the 1971 genocide, the repatri-  Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense
        • An MoU between the Foreign Ser-  first settlement took place in 1974…  ation of stranded Pakistanis or “Bi-  Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, on
          vice Academy of Pakistan and the   The document of that time is histor-  haris,” or Bangladesh’s rightful share   September 16, 2025


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