Fri Dec 20 08:34:51 UTC 2024: ## Bangladesh’s Interim Leader Moves to Strengthen Ties with Pakistan, Straining India Relations
**Cairo, Egypt** – Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, announced Thursday a significant shift in foreign policy, agreeing to strengthen relations with Pakistan. This move is expected to further complicate already strained relations between Bangladesh and India.
Yunus, meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of a D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation summit in Cairo, stated his intention to resolve lingering grievances stemming from the 1971 war that led to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan. He emphasized the need to address these long-standing issues to facilitate progress in bilateral ties.
Sharif, echoing Yunus’ sentiments, described the meeting as “warm and cordial,” highlighting their shared commitment to deepening collaboration through increased trade, commerce, and cultural exchanges. This follows a recent successful shipment of cargo from Pakistan to Bangladesh, the first in decades.
The move comes after the August student-led revolution in Bangladesh that ousted the pro-India government of Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in India. The strengthened Pakistan-Bangladesh relationship is viewed as a direct challenge to India’s influence in the region.
Yunus also expressed his determination to revive the largely inactive South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), currently hampered by tensions between India and Pakistan. He voiced his desire for a SAARC summit, even a symbolic one, to signal a renewed commitment to regional cooperation. This ambitious goal underscores the far-reaching implications of the burgeoning Bangladesh-Pakistan partnership.
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