Pakistan Foreign Minister To Visit Bangladesh Amid Delhi-Islamabad Tensions

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Bangladesh over the weekend, two days after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. While India has taken strong diplomatic steps to counter Pakistan's continued sponsorship of terror activities, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, Bangladesh seems to be steady in its position of maintaining strong ties with Pakistan.

In a statement following the Pahalgam attack, Bangladesh said, "Bangladesh extends deepest condolences to the families of the victims and expresses heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by this mindless act of violence," adding, "Bangladesh reiterates its unwavering commitment to the global fight against terrorism."

Recently, Bangladesh has been warming up to Pakistan, with the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, calling for stronger ties between the two countries. While Yunus condemned the attack and reaffirmed Bangladesh's resolute stand against terrorism in his statement, warming ties with Pakistan, a country widely seen as a hub for terrorist activities, could harm Bangladesh's long-term interests.

Under the previous government, Pakistan was largely isolated from Bangladesh, partly due to its past of harboring terrorists such as Osama bin Laden. That situation has shifted under Muhammad Yunus, and Pakistan now sees an opportunity to reestablish its influence in Bangladesh. Several Pakistan-backed anti-India voices have openly made statements against India, something that has raised concerns in New Delhi. Many of these elements were previously pushed to the margins during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Sheikh Hasina has condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack in a statement, expressing sorrow for the victims and wishing the injured a swift recovery.

"The Bangladesh Awami League has always stood firmly against terrorism based on its core principles and ideology. We offer unwavering support for humanitarian political values across the globe. The terrorist attack in Kashmir is a grave threat to the creation of a humane world and a deep wound on the heart of human civilisation. The Bangladesh Awami League will continue to lend full support in the global struggle against these extremist forces. We demand that those responsible for such barbaric attacks be brought to justice," the statement read. She further emphasised her party's policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism and extremism.

Several individuals accused of terrorism and jailed under Hasina's government have since been released. Among them is Pakistan-backed Bangladeshi Islamist radical Jashimuddin Rahmani Hafi, the chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an al-Qaida-affiliated group. He was released after Hasina left office last year. Rahmani has recently issued threats about "breaking up" India and "hoisting Islamist flags in Delhi."

Earlier this year, several operatives of the ABT were arrested in Assam and West Bengal in a special operation by Assam Police. Authorities said they had handlers in both Pakistan and Bangladesh and were working to establish sleeper cells across India. The operatives allegedly planned to assassinate Hindu and RSS leaders and carry out violent, subversive activities within India.

In the Pahalgam attack, the terrorists specifically targeted Hindus. Security experts warn that if Pakistan regains influence in Bangladesh, it could use Bangladeshi soil to plot attacks against India-raising fresh concerns on India's eastern front, in addition to existing challenges on the western border. Should Bangladesh-Pakistan ties extend into military cooperation, experts believe the Pakistani military may seek ways to target India from the east, which would undermine Bangladesh's professed commitment to combating terrorism.

Sources say Dar's three-day visit to Bangladesh will include discussions on enhancing cooperation in trade, economic collaboration, public diplomacy, defence, and security. Pakistan's military, which suffered a humiliating defeat and surrender in Bangladesh in 1971 after committing widespread atrocities, has long eyed a return to influence in the country. If Dar secures operating space in Bangladesh, Indian strategic experts believe it will be used for anti-India activity. That is why all eyes are on Dhaka during Dar's visit-and what Bangladesh signals in its engagement with Pakistan.