At a time when relations between India and its easterly neighbour Bangladesh are not particularly rosy, the latter has been made a big offer by Pakistan — access to the key port of Karachi. This will allow Dhaka to expand its global trade network, Pakistani news channel Samaa has reported on October 28.
The report comes a day after Bangladesh’s interim head Muhammad Yunus gave a controversial gift to a Pakistani general in Dhaka. The gift included a distorted map of Bangladesh that included Assam and other northeastern states as part of India.
Also read | Northeast India under Bangladesh? Yunus’ gift to Pakistan general stirs row
Pakistan’s offer of collaboration in shipping was made by during the 9th Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting of the two countries held in Dhaka, the first such meeting in 20 years. The session was co-chaired by Pakistan’s petroleum minister Ali Pervez and Bangladesh’s finance advisor, the report added.
What is means, diplomatically
This signals further cooperation, and carries significant diplomatic meaning. Because, there’s history there — Bangladesh was once part of Pakistan as its East part, liberated with India’s help in 1971. This collab thus means another instance of the erstwhile East and West Pakistans working together, each on either side of India.
An official statement on the offer to access the Karachi Port Trust said both countries underscored the importance of boosting collaboration between their national shipping corporations, according to Samaa TV.
What Pak-Bangladesh collab entails
- Beyond trade, Pakistan and Bangladesh also agreed to boost cooperation in key areas including medical and religious tourism, investment and industrial progress, energy and climate change initiatives, and information technology and communication.
- The two sides also agreed to speed up efforts to initiate direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh, a move aimed at strengthening people-to-people and business ties.
- The Pakistan Halal Food Authority and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute also signed a memorandum of cooperation for collaboration in the quality assurance, helping both nations tap into the growing global halal market.
- Agriculture, education, banking, health, tourism, textile, and information and broadcasting were other areas listed for working together in.
Timing key for India
This comes at a time when India has been tightening the screws on trade access for Bangladesh, which is being ruled by an interim regime led by Nobel laureate Yunus since last year after then PM Sheikh Hasina was unseated in a youth-led revolt.
With Hasina exiled in India, Yunus has made a number of controversial statements targeting India, particularly after PM Narendra Modi’s government expressed concerns for the safety of minority Hindus in Bangladesh.
Since the beginning of 2025, India has added products, such as those made from jute, one of India’s main products, to a list of banned imports from Bangladesh through all land routes.
The move was widely seen as a retaliatory measure after Dhaka’s decision to close its land ports to Indian yarn exports, Business Standard reported. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade on Saturday (May 17) issued a notification detailing the restrictions, which specifically restricted import of goods such as readymade garments, processed food items, carbonated drinks, plastic goods, and wooden furniture, the report added.
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