Pakistan And Bangladesh May Move Toward Mutual Defence Agreement, Here’s Why India Needs To Worry As Deal Gains Momentum

Are Pakistan and Bangladesh planning a defence pact while tensions with India simmer? Top diplomatic and foreign ministry sources say both countries are close to signing a Mutual Defence Agreement, which could mark a big shift in their relationship now that they’re rebuilding diplomatic and military ties.

A senior official from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Islamabad and Dhaka have already set up a joint team to hammer out the details of this agreement.

This shows the two militaries are working more closely than before and that their strategic coordination is getting stronger.

Is Bangladesh signing a defence pact with Pakistan? 

Bangladesh’s military leaders, according to diplomats, want a defence pact with Pakistan, something on par with what Pakistan has with countries like Saudi Arabia. Their chiefs have already met several times to push the idea forward.

There’s been a clear uptick in meetings between senior military officials from both sides. Army, air force, and navy leaders have all visited each other’s countries this year, signing a series of military agreements focused on training, capacity building, and professional exchanges.

Sources say progress has been solid, but the final draft of the agreement probably won’t be ready until after Bangladesh’s general elections. The next government is expected to review and sign off on the deal.

Things started moving fast after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Both countries quickly reopened diplomatic channels and ramped up defence cooperation that had basically stalled for years. Meanwhile, relations between Bangladesh and India have gone downhill.

On a bigger scale, one senior diplomat noted that at least eight other countries are interested in similar defence arrangements with Pakistan. Islamabad’s defense diplomacy seems to be picking up speed.

Why should India pay attention to this deal? 

After Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024, Pakistan wasted no time reaching out to the new leadership in Dhaka. Islamabad was among the first to welcome Muhammad Yunus’s interim government, voicing support for “the people of Bangladesh.”

This renewed closeness has set off concerns about rising radicalisation in Bangladesh.

Earlier this year, Pakistan’s ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik visited Dhaka, the first time in decades a Pakistani intelligence head has made such a trip to Bangladesh and that got India’s security establishment worried.

Did Pakistan set up a special ISI cell inside its High Commission in Dhaka? 

Reports say Pakistan quietly set up a special ISI cell inside its High Commission in Dhaka, right after Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, spent four days in the city.

Senior Journalist Subir Bhaumik told The Federal that India’s main worry is Bangladesh turning into a base for Pakistan or groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to launch attacks inside India before slipping back over the border. 

If that happens, India and Bangladesh could get dragged into a conflict, something that would play straight into Pakistan’s hands.

Shanthie Mariet D’Souza, who heads the Mantraya Institute of Strategic Studies, told DW that these changes in Dhaka-Islamabad relations could affect security in India’s northeast.

She said India needs to stay alert and come up with smart policies to handle the fast-changing situation in the region. 

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