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The Way Forward

As far as political relations with Pakistan go, there is a long and distraught history of violence that Bangladesh has suffered and is in no rush to forget.

By Fathima Sheikh | January 2025


The student protests, which stretched to a month-long ‘Quota Reform Movement,’ cemented the successful removal of Sheikh Hasina, who, quite literally, fled the scene. Subsequently, an interim government under Dr. Muhammad Yunus, an economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, labeled as the ‘Yunus Ministry,’ came to govern the state of Bangladesh. Since August 2024, its core aim remains to uphold the essence of human dignity.

Although Hasina expressed an interest in patching up the bilateral relations with Pakistan during Imran Khan’s rule, no real effort was made, following a similar pattern of ignorance during her rule. The Yunus ministry may have created a new hope; however, it seems they are in no rush. In October, approximately a couple of months after the new interim government had been formed, the Bangladeshi Foreign Adviser, Md. Touhid Hossain claimed that Pakistan would not only have to apologize but also stand accountable for the tragedy that ensued during the war of 1971 to normalize political relations with the new ministry. This sentiment was reverberated when Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif met during the D8 summit in Egypt. Muhammad Yunus insisted Sharif resolve the unsolved issues of 1971, and while the ‘Shimla Agreement’ has been underway, Sharif is also said to have ensured Yunus that he would be willing to amend any other outlying issues.

Much to the amazement of a South Asian, the interesting trajectory of the severe slit of the three nations remains before the subcontinent. A truth most post-colonials know is when a country tears, it does not rip even. Such was the case with India and Pakistan, and such is the reality of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Many have noted the cause of Pakistan’s delayed economic progression, in comparison to India, to be due to the unequal distribution of resources, the unfair carving of the nation, the early death of Jinnah, the Islamophobic nature of the Western world, the eminent hold of the establishment, or the amalgamation of it all. So, what is the excuse when it comes to Bangladesh? It is much smaller, has suffered an equally worse annexation twice, and has suffered a similar pattern of disguised monarchic governance. Resilient, it has successfully dissolved its cabinet and formed a new government while surpassing Pakistan in every measure of a progressing nation.

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2 thoughts on “The Way Forward

  • January 3, 2025 at 1:10 am
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    Absolutely brilliant.

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  • January 3, 2025 at 4:42 pm
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    What a great insight to a parallel nation. More writing like this please

    Reply