Bangladesh–Pakistan Relations

Bangladesh and Pakistan are both South Asian Muslim-majority countries. Following the end of British rule in India, the two countries formed a single state for 24 years. The Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Pakistan (formerly West Pakistan) recognized Bangladesh in 1974. Today, bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan are considered to be cordial.

The two countries are both founding members of SAARC, as well as members of the Developing 8 Countries, the OIC and the Commonwealth of Nations. Both are classified as Next Eleven emerging economies. Bangladesh has a High Commission in Islamabad and Deputy High Commission in Karachi. Pakistan has a High Commission in Dhaka.

History

Pre-partition era

When the East India Company conquered Punjab in 1849, a substantial portion of its Indian staff that settled around Lahore was Bengali.

Partition and liberation

As part of the Partition of India in 1947, Bengal was partitioned between the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The Pakistani part of Bengal was known as East Bengal until 1955 and thereafter as East Pakistan following the implementation of the One Unit program.

Bilateral relations between the two wings grew strained over the lack of official recognition for the Bengali language, democracy, regional autonomy, disparity between the two wings, ethnic discrimination, and the central government's weak and inefficient relief efforts after the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which had affected millions in East Pakistan. These grievances led to several political agitations in East Bengal and ultimately a fight for full independence. In early March 1971, 300 Biharis were slaughtered in rioting by Bengali mobs in Chittagong. The massacre was used by the Pakistan Armed Forces as a justification to launch "Operation Searchlight", which targeted intellectuals, political activists, Hindus and other minorities. The number of people killed by Pakistani forces remains disputed, with estimates ranging from 300,000 to 3million.Matthew White's
Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century
'' About 8–10million people became refugees in India.Rummel, Rudolph J.
"Statistics of Democide: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900"
, , Chapter 8,
Table 8.2 Pakistan Genocide in Bangladesh Estimates, Sources, and Calculations
: lowest estimate 2million said by Pakistan (reported by Aziz, Qutubuddin. ''Blood and tears'' Karachi: United Press of Pakistan, 1974. pp. 74,226), all the other sources used by Rummel suggest a figure of between 8 and 10 million with one (Johnson, B. L. C. ''Bangladesh''. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1975. pp. 73,75) that "could have been" 12million. Many Bengali policemen and soldiers mutinied and nationalists formed a guerrilla force, the Mukti Bahini with Soviet and Indian support.

When the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 broke out between West Pakistan and India, the joint forces of India and Mukti Bahini (later known as the Bangladesh Armed forces) defeated Pakistani forces in East Pakistan. Subsequently, the independent state of Bangladesh was created.

1974–2012: Establishment and growth of bilateral relations

The left-oriented Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had been the main political opponent of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, came into power in the aftermath of Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan. Initially, Pakistan was not in favor of recognizing Bangladesh and urged other states to hold back their recognition until Pakistan could enter into a dialogue with Bangladeshi leadership. Bangladesh, on its part, insisted on recognition as a pre-condition for dialogue. In 1972, Pakistan left the Commonwealth after some members of the Commonwealth extended membership to Bangladesh. Pakistan also severed ties with other countries which recognized Bangladesh.

On the issue of Bangladesh's application for membership to the UN, China, on Pakistan's request, exercised its veto power for the first time to stall the move, which helped Pakistan to secure in a bargain the release of its prisoners of war and the return of troops to their pre-war positions.

In 1974, the relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan thawed. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman withdrew the bans on some pro-Pakistan organisations, that had operated before Bangladesh's independence. Mujib visited Lahore for an OIC Islamic summit, and in return, the Parliament of Pakistan authorized Bhutto to extend recognition to Bangladesh. In June 1974, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto visited Bangladesh and paid homage to Bangladesh's war memorial at Savar Upazila. Both nations discussed an agreement in 1975 in which Bangladesh agreed to take up half of Pakistan's pre-1971 external reserves provided Bangladesh received half of the country's pre-1971 assets and credit. The matter went unresolved.

Relations normalized quite under the governments of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad in Bangladesh, which had grown more distant from its usual allies, like India and Russia. Five Pakistani heads of government have made official visits to Bangladesh since the 1980s and numerous trade and cultural agreements have been signed. Common concerns over terrorism have influenced strategic cooperation leading to a gift of several squadrons of F-6 fighter aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force in the late 1980s, Although, there was no serious effort to maintain them as they were later left to be destroyed by a cyclone. Trade between the two countries stood at $340 million in 2010, which was described by the deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh, Ruhul Alam Siddique as "negligible when you take in to account the combined population" of the two countries. Areas he hoped would induce investment from Pakistan to Bangladesh included the textiles and energy sectors.

In 1985, Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq visited the Bangladeshi war memorial, and said "Your heroes are our heroes." Bangladeshi President Ershad visited Islamabad in 1986. In 1998, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Pakistan. In July 2002, Pakistani General Pervez Musharraf also visited the war memorial and said "Your brothers and sisters in Pakistan share the pain of the events of 1971."

However, relationships suffered miserably under first term of Khaleda Zia in 1991 to 1996, who oversaw the deportation of 30,000 Biharis from Bangladesh. During an India–Pakistan cricket match, several Biharis were killed for supporting Pakistan and Pakistani flags were burned. Khaleda Zia refused to take in Bengalis returning from Pakistan.

In his history of Bangladesh, Craig Baxter gives a general assessment of the relations between both countries:

2013: War crimes tribunal

In December 2013, Bangladeshi Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Islamist leader Abdul Quader Molla, dubbed the "butcher of Mirpur", was executed in Bangladesh for war crimes. Following the execution, the lower house National Assembly of Pakistan issued a statement condemning execution, claiming it to be politically motivated. Pakistan's Interior Minister expressed sadness that Molla was executed for his "loyalty towards Pakistan".

As a result of Pakistan's reactions, Bangladesh summoned the Pakistani High Commissioner, conveying its displeasure at Pakistan's interference in its internal matters. Bangladesh conveyed its displeasure at the National Assembly statement, Punjab Provincial Assembly statement, as well as the remarks by Pakistan's Interior Minister. Protesters in Bangladesh also took to the streets to express their displeasure by marching towards the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

2015–2016: Diplomatic rifts

In two separate incidents, officials of the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka were alleged to be financing the terrorist activities of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh organization. Diplomatic official Mazhar Khan was charged by Bangladesh's foreign ministry of running an illegal Indian currency business in Dhaka beside alleged links with militants. However, Pakistan's foreign office maintains that allegations against him are baseless and the incident is unfortunate.

In December 2015, Pakistan withdrew the diplomat Farina Arshad after Bangladeshi authorities asked the diplomat to leave for reportedly having "extended financial support to a suspected militant who faces spying charges". Jama 'Atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative Idris Sheikh, who also holds Pakistani nationality, had claimed he had received money from her and was in contact with her for some time. Pakistan has withdrawn one of its diplomats from Bangladesh after "harassment", the foreign ministry said. A formal statement from Islamabad dismissed the charges as "baseless", adding "an incessant and orchestrated media campaign was launched against her on spurious charges".

In January 2016, Islamabad asked Dhaka to recall senior diplomat Moushumi Rahman from its High Commission in Islamabad within 48 hours. Diplomatic sources in Islamabad told the media that Rahman was allegedly involved in "anti-state activities in Pakistan" and that concerned security agencies continued to monitor her.

2018 to present: normalization

Following the election of Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan, the two countries slowly began to normalize ties. Khan made a phone call to Sheikh Hasina in July 2020 following Bangladesh's foreign policy announcement of "friendship to all and malice to none", inviting her to Islamabad. Hasina later mentioned that she was interested in strengthening bilateral ties with Pakistan. Following a meeting with Shahriar Alam on 7 January 2021, the Government of Pakistan removed all visa requirements for Bangladeshi citizens.

There has been efforts to improve relations after the Sheikh Hasina ouster in August 2024. In November 2024, for the first time since the independence of Bangladesh, a Pakistani cargo ship docked in Chittagong Port; while in October the government of Bangladesh ended the practice of "mandatory 100% physical inspection" for Pakistani imports.

Unresolved issues of 1971

In October 2024, Bangladeshi Foreign Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain said that it would be easier to normalize relations if Pakistan apologizes for the events of '71. On 19 December 2024, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif met on the sidelines of D8 summit in Egypt, where Yunus urged Sharif to resolve the unsolved issues of 1971. Sharif asserted that main issues had been resolved though 1974 Shimla Agreement and if there were other outstanding issues, he also would have liked to overview. The two leaders also expressed their desire to extend cooperation in new areas such as the sugar industry and dengue management.

On 17 April 2025, Bangladesh again demanded a formal public apology from Pakistan for the atrocities committed against it during the 1971 Liberation War. Bangladesh also reiterated its demand for the repayment of $4.5 billion it claims is owed by Pakistan, the repatriation of more than 300,000 stranded Pakistanis, the equitable distribution of undivided Pakistan’s financial and institutional assets, and the long-ignored transfer of international aid originally meant for victims of the 1970 Bhola cyclone. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin stated that the country had raised "historically unresolved issues" with Pakistan during his meeting with Pakistani counterpart Amna Baloch at the Padma State Guest House. According to Dr. Moonis Ahmar, professor of international relations at the University of Karachi, while Pakistan has agreed to "symbolically" discuss the issue, "it doesn't mean that Pakistan will accept those demands."
Syed maroof removed from his post have once again deteroriated relations again.

Residency issues

Bengalis in Pakistan

There has been a presence of people from modern day Bangladesh in present-day Pakistan going back generations, even during the times of the British Raj. This continued from 1971 onwards and extended into the 1980s, when massive numbers of Bangladeshis entered Pakistan. This led to a crackdown by the government of Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s, after public resentment and complaints of crime and social unrest. Today, there are about an estimated two million unregistered Bangladeshis in Pakistan. There has been a small number of Bangladeshi expatriate students studying in Pakistan but that number has been on the decline mainly due to security concerns in the country.

Biharis in Bangladesh

An issue of continuing controversy is the status and return of Biharis (also called Stranded Pakistanis) to Pakistan. Numbered around 540,000, these communities had migrated to what became East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar after the partition of India in 1947. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, these communities supported the Pakistani government and later wanted to emigrate to Pakistan, which stalled and hesitated. By 1982, about 127,000 had been repatriated, leaving about 250,000 people still demanding repatriation. In 1985, there was some progress in this area when Pakistani president Zia-ul-Haq agreed to accept the "stranded Pakistanis." In a 2002 visit to Bangladesh, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf signed numerous bilateral agreements but said he could not allow the emigration of Biharis to Pakistan for the time being.

Defense relations

Defence relations improved considerably under the reigns of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad in Bangladesh, which had grown more distant from its war ally, India. Common concerns over India's regional power have influenced strategic cooperation leading to a gift of several squadrons of J-6 fighter aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force in the late 1980s.

In August 2024, the Yunus interim government ordered for a "fresh supply of artillery ammunition from Pakistan", which included 40,000 ammunition rounds, 2900 high intensity projectiles and 40 tonnes of RDX in "wax consistency".

Bilateral trade

Bilateral trade between the two countries has been growing slowly over the past years. During the eleven-year period between 2000–01 and 2010–11, Pakistan export to Bangladesh grew at an average annual rate of 27.6 percent and imports from Bangladesh grew at the rate of 9.2 percent. The total value of trade (export plus import) between the two countries in 2010-11 was about $983 million. To give a boost to bilateral trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh both countries have decided to finalize a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. FTA will pave the way for opening trade opportunity and will help expansion of trade between the two countries. In November 2024, a cargo ship sailed directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh for the first time in decades.

Major Bangladeshi exports to Pakistan include textiles, agricultural products, leather footwear and other leather products. In fiscal 2022-23, Bangladesh's imports exceeded $68 billion, of which goods imported from Pakistan amounted to $699 million. Exports to Pakistan were around $74 million during the period. Most of the imported goods consist of raw materials for the garment industry.

According to the Pakistan Business Council, in addition to cotton, the list of goods imported by Bangladesh from Pakistan includes salt, Sulphur, earths and stones, plastering materials, lime, edible vegetables, raw hides and skins, machinery, inorganic chemicals, man-made staple fibers, plastics, tanning or dyeing extracts, and edible fruits and nuts.

See also

* Bangladesh–India relations
* Foreign relations of Bangladesh
* Foreign relations of Pakistan

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangladesh-Pakistan Relations
Bangladesh and the Commonwealth of Nations

Pakistan
Bilateral relations of Pakistan
Pakistan and the Commonwealth of Nations