Pakistan and Bangladesh must turn the page on the past

Farhan Bokhari is an Islamabad-based foreign correspondent who writes on Pakistan and the surrounding region.

In the year since Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power following fierce public protests, the South Asian country and Pakistan are moving toward a reset in ties that have been beset by deep animosity.

The hope in Dhaka and Islamabad is for the two countries to move beyond their tragic history, and forge a new relationship based on closer economic ties that underline the reality of the present century.

Both countries need economic progress to overcome internal challenges. Pakistan is now cautiously emerging from a near-default status just two years ago, though its economic future is overshadowed by the ongoing destruction caused by powerful floods due to climate change.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is seeking a fresh start after Hasina’s 15 years of rule, during which a staggering $234 billion was plundered from the country to overseas destinations, according to a detailed investigation by the Financial Times. It is clear that Bangladesh needs to rebuild parts of its economy that have been very badly damaged.

The escalating battle against climate change presents a common predicament to Bangladesh and Pakistan, as both countries face challenges from mounting food insecurity and multiple threats to future water supply.

In time, their future journey must also expand the relationship to closer engagement with neighbors, notably India. While New Delhi, for now, has positioned itself in opposition to Pakistan in particular and Bangladesh to some extent, India’s overwhelming presence in South Asia cannot be ignored by its neighbors.

Bangladesh and Pakistan won independence from British colonial rule as one country in 1947, and came to be known as East Pakistan and West Pakistan, respectively. It was an awkward union as the two regions were split apart by roughly 2,200 kilometers of Indian territory.

In 1971, Bangladesh won independence from its western wing following a bloody secessionist war, eventually backed by an Indian military intervention. Even conservative historical accounts say at least 300,000 lives were lost, while 90,000 Pakistanis, mostly from the armed forces, were taken as prisoners of war by India.

Since the creation of Bangladesh, successive leaders in Dhaka have swung between diehard anti-Pakistan elements such as Hasina and more neutral leaders such as military generals and nationalist politicians.

Then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks to foreign observers and journalists at her residence in Dhaka, on Jan. 8, 2024. A few months later she was ousted after fierce protests against her rule.   © Reuters

Hasina’s hatred for Pakistan partly stems from her personal trauma. Her late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman led his country to independence from Pakistan before being killed by a group of young army officers in 1975. In that bloody episode, Hasina lost most of her siblings, both of her parents and an uncle. She and her sister survived as both of them were abroad at the time.

In subsequent years, some of Bangladesh’s governments have sought closer ties with Pakistan — a trend that only further aggravated Hasina’s view of Islamabad. The world has witnessed monumental figures such as Nelson Mandela, the late South African leader who got over his serving of a long prison term during the Apartheid era. But Hasina could never raise her own stature to even remotely match Mandela’s towering and forgiving persona.

Her downfall in August 2024 unexpectedly provided an opening for Bangladesh and Pakistan to begin a new relationship. Bangladesh’s respected leader, Muhammad Yunus, set the pace for closer ties earlier this year when he said: “For a long time, we kept missing each other. Our relationship was frozen. Now is the time to thaw that ice.”

Since he succeeded Hasina, Yunus has overseen growing contact with Pakistan through the exchange of high-level military and civilian leaders.

On the economic front, the two countries with a combined population of at least 430 million, can work toward filling a vital gap. Official records show that bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan never exceeded $1 billion annually between 2020 and 2025. This is clearly far below their potential for trade, given the huge population base.

Going forward, Bangladesh and Pakistan must carefully deepen their ties while being careful not to make two damaging mistakes.

First, their ties need to avoid a military dimension as this risks provoking India, and could have unpredictable consequences. Such a provocation would disrupt progress in areas of mutual benefit to Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Second, future ties with major world powers such as China and the U.S. must only be led by economic interests. A choice to the contrary will easily unravel the progress made by Bangladesh and Pakistan in the past year.

If Dhaka and Islamabad can set aside old animosities, focus on economics, and avoid military entanglements, they may finally turn a bitter history into a shared future.

The article appeared in asia.nikkei