Although Bangladesh may ultimately not be part of the anti-India regional bloc, repairing relations with Pakistan could be a win-win situation, accompanied by a cessation of disputes and continued cooperation in other economic and cultural areas.
After the election of Imran Khan, the two countries began the process of normalizing relations, and Bangladesh’s foreign policy declaration of “friendship with all” was also effective.
Also, after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation in August 2024, there were numerous diplomatic and multilateral exchanges between Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the improvement of relations and ministerial interactions also deepened, and several Pakistani ministers have visited Dhaka.
Under the caretaker government, Bangladesh’s foreign policy has envisaged a diplomatic revival with Islamabad. A context that led to leaders meeting in New York and Cairo in 2024.
The official visit of Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Dhaka in July 2025, meeting with Bangladeshi officials and counterparts, led to further discussions and coordination on counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, police training, visa facilitation, and increasing bilateral trade.
Meanwhile, the visit of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka on August 23, 2025, was the first high-level visit to Bangladesh in 13 years. The meetings of this visit and the agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports were very important and a turning point in overcoming the tension.
Pakistan’s attention to dialogue with Bangladeshi parties such as delegations of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and the National Citizen’s Party (NCP) indicates that it is laying the groundwork for the beginning of a new era of relations. While parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami are optimistic about increasing relations with Pakistan.
Intensifying military engagements
Several exchanges of defence officials have taken place between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the past year and a half. In January, a Bangladeshi military delegation visited Islamabad. The visit of a military delegation from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from Dhaka and the arrival of the Bangladesh Army Chief to Pakistan were among the strategic interactions in recent decades. There has also been increasing coordination on regional security, joint military exercises such as Aman-25, educational programmes, and arms trade.
Pakistan’s promises to train the Bangladeshi army and Dhaka’s interest in buying fighter jets from Pakistan indicate a deepening of bilateral defense-security cooperation.
New Geopolitics
Bangladesh’s willingness and approach to realign its foreign policy and pursue a more balanced approach to the warming of ties with Pakistan are evident. The government’s embrace and the two-year changes in Bangladesh have created a new and strategic geopolitical opportunity for Pakistan.
The role of external actors in the relationship, especially India and China, is important in the new relationship. The growing alliance between the two countries remains a concern for India. But both Pakistan and Bangladesh are key partners in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and China can play a positive role in facilitating projects and strengthening their ties.
Indeed, Bangladesh’s policy towards China has expanded with an official visit to China in March and the new agreements.
Therefore, the creation of a new trilateral bloc, with the recent trilateral summit between Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan, to strengthen the Trans-Himalayan Corridor and the maritime corridor, is on the agenda. In contrast, Indian initiatives and efforts, such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway or BIMSTEC, have lost their charm for Bangladesh.
While Bangladesh has dismissed speculation about any regional bloc and believes that independence and non-alignment remain the basic principles of its foreign policy, the relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi is not good.
Strengthening the emerging Bangladesh-China-Pakistan triad may also be anti-India. Even the consequences of renewed Pakistan-Bangladesh relations could affect New Delhi’s regional influence and water sharing between India and Bangladesh.
Although Pakistan’s diplomatic power and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif have played an important role in the change, the convergence of interests between China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh could be negative for India. Given Washington’s interest in containing China and the potential for change in South Asia, the West also fears a broad and full convergence of Bangladesh with China.
Economy and Culture
In November 2024, for the first time since Bangladesh’s independence, a Pakistani cargo ship docked in Bangladesh, and direct trade resumed.
Bilateral trade is relatively low and skewed towards Pakistan. Bilateral trade increased by 20 percent to $865 million in the fiscal year 2024-25.
The potential for expanding trade and investment and increasing economic cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh is evolving. The young and large populations and growing economies of the two countries offer opportunities for trade and investment in sectors such as energy and textiles.
Apart from increasing meetings of economic officials and expanding memorandums of understanding and agreements, the re-launch of the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) will have an impact on a wide range of issues related to economic cooperation.
In the area of soft power, the two countries have also made efforts to explore new areas of cooperation, cultural and tourism exchanges, easing visa restrictions, easing security clearance requirements, direct transport and flights, educational cooperation, full scholarships, and people-to-people exchanges.
In recent months, a memorandum of understanding on cultural exchange, memoranda of understanding between the two countries’ news agencies, foreign service academies, and research institutes, and the visit of Bangladesh’s religious affairs adviser Khalid Hossain to Islamabad indicate a gradual resumption of engagement between the two nations, with an eye on the soft and cultural spheres.
Challenges and Prospects
There are unresolved tangible and intangible issues between Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 2025, Bangladesh demanded a formal and public apology from Pakistan and a refund of $4.5 billion.
The 1971 liberation war and Pakistan’s approach to formally apologizing to about two million Bangladeshis in Pakistan, the return of Pakistanis from Bangladesh, have created obstacles in bilateral relations.
A full agreement on the fundamental issues and unresolved problems is needed, and relations are not yet sufficiently broad. However, in an emerging multipolar world order, a gradual repair of relations between the two countries could largely benefit the regional and global interests of most Eurasian actors.
Bangladesh’s transition to elections in early 2026 could be an important turning point. Although Bangladesh may ultimately not be part of the anti-India regional bloc, repairing relations with Pakistan could be a win-win situation, accompanied by a cessation of disputes and continued cooperation in other economic and cultural areas.
Samyar Rostami, а political observer and senior researcher in international relations
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