Foreign Secretary-level talks between Pakistan and Bangladesh to be held on Thursday

After the fall of the July Movement and the subsequent government of Sheikh Hasina, the one-time enemy Pakistan is going to become a friend of Bangladesh. Under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, Pakistan has taken advantage of the distance created between the once friendly India and the new Bangladesh. A meeting of the Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and Bangladesh will be held in Dhaka. Foreign Secretary Md Jasim Uddin will lead the Bangladesh side at the meeting with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch to be held at the state guest house Padma. The foreign secretary-level meeting of the two countries is going to be held in Dhaka on Thursday after 15 years.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday. According to Prothom Alo media, the meeting will focus on advancing relations with Pakistan as well as resolving outstanding issues between the two countries. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Dhaka later this month. Besides discussing the visit, the meeting is expected to focus on important issues related to politics, trade, connectivity, defence and security in this phase of Dhaka-Islamabad relations. During the visit, she will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam.

The last time Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited Dhaka was in 2012. No foreign minister has visited Pakistan in the last 15 years. After Muhammad Yunus opened the door for Pakistan, Pakistan took advantage of that opportunity and entered the field. Therefore, the political and diplomatic picture of Bangladesh is going to change rapidly.

In the last few months, extremists and radicals have become more vocal in Bangladesh. At the same time, efforts are being made to erase the legacy of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in an audio address to her supporters on Sunday, accused Yunus of erasing Bangladesh's history, especially the Awami League's contribution to the Liberation War. According to Bangladesh observers, Pakistan is playing a role in encouraging anti-India forces in that country. The interim government led by Yunus has released people like Jashimuddin Rahmani, the chief of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). Bangladesh has turned towards Pakistan and China after the interim government came to power. Forgetting the genocide of 1971, the rulers of Bangladesh are now pulling Pakistan closer. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Muhammad Yunus have met twice since August last year. India is also concerned about Pakistan's role in terrorism. Delhi is keeping an eye on the situation in which Hasina will increase Dhaka's alliance with China in the future as well as coming closer to Islamabad.