PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH RELATIONSHIP

Bangladesh and Pakistan are South Asian Muslim-majority countries. Following the end of the
British raj, 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.
Bangladesh continues to call on Pakistan to acknowledge and apologize for war crimes
committed during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. The execution of a Jamaat-e-Islami leader in
2013 was opposed in Pakistan and led to strained ties. In 2015, two officials of the Pakistani
High Commission, visa officer Mazhar Khan and second secretary Farina Arshad, were named
by banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh operatives as having financed terrorist activities.
In January 2016, Islamabad asked Dhaka to recall senior diplomat Moushumi Rahman from its
high commission in Islamabad within 72 hours. Diplomatic sources in Islamabad told the media
that Rahman was involved in "terror activities in Pakistan" and that concerned security agencies
continued to monitor her.

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.
Pakistan has a High Commission in Dhaka.

Pakistan and Bangladesh enjoy good brotherly relations which are rooted in common religion,
history, cultural heritage. As sovereign independent States, relations between Pakistan and
Bangladesh started in 1974 when, forgetting the bitterness of the past, Prime Minister of
Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister of
Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to attend the second meeting of the Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) held in Lahore from 22nd to 24th February, 1974. During the statement of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that “he wanted the people to forget the past and to make a fresh start”
had certainly raised the expectations that momentary differences might separate the brothers,
but their hearts continued to throb together.

Today, the love of the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh for each-other can be seen on the
cricket field. Both Pakistani and Bangladeshi spectators celebrate the victory of each other’s
team against a third country as their own victory. Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and
Tamim Iqbal have the same number of fans in Pakistan as in Bangladesh and likewise Wasim
Akram, and Shahid Afridi are as popular in Bangladesh as in Pakistan.

Not only are the social bonds strengthening mutual ties, especially between the younger
generations. Likewise, economic and commercial relations have also shown positive upward
trajectory in recent years in the form of bilateral trade that has gone up to US $790 million from
685 million dollars in 2016-17. Bangladesh ranks amongst top export destinations of Pakistan.
Still, there are huge opportunities for improvement in bilateral trade to the mutual benefit of
both. Pakistani raw cotton, electronics and electrical goods, motorbikes, CNG Rickshaws, etc.
have a huge potential in Bangladesh that could be imported at very competitive rates.
Cooperation in economic and trade will not only alleviate poverty which is a common problem
of both the countries but also go a long way to rejuvenate business potentials.