Shifting the paradigm

For the past few months, much positive news has been received from what was once East Pakistan. A news report published in the Bangladeshi newspaper ‘Dhaka Tribune’ says that a Bangladesh Navy ship named BNS Somudra Joy has departed from Chittagong and is currently heading towards the port of Karachi for active participation in the multilateral naval exercises titled 'Aman Exercise 2025', hosted by Pakistan Navy from February 7-11. The historic moments of the ship's docking are therefore being eagerly awaited here in Karachi.

It is said that this is the first time since the establishment of Bangladesh that a naval ship from Bangladesh is coming to Pakistan. Bangladeshi media further report that BNS Somudra Joy will also pay a goodwill visit to other regional countries, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives. However, it is quite interesting that there has been no news of the Bangladeshi ship docking at any port in India during its historic journey to Pakistan.

Direct sea connection between Chittagong Port in Bangladesh and Karachi Port in Pakistan was established in November last year when a Pakistani ship was allowed to dock at Chittagong for the first time since the separation in 1971. I remember that three years ago, Bangladesh had refused to grant permission to PNS Taimur to dock at its port in August 2022.

Now the duration of sea travel between the two countries has been reduced to just ten days after the restoration of the direct sea route. According to media reports, direct air service between Karachi and Dhaka is also being started, and a visa-on-arrival facility for Pakistani citizens has also been announced.

Historically, after the establishment of Bangladesh, relations between the two countries saw ups and downs for a long time, but Sheikh Hasina Wajid's government had crossed all limits in its hostility towards Pakistan. In the year of Karma 2024, her government was toppled by the brave people of Bangladesh.

Muhammad Yunus bravely endured the hardships of imprisonment during Sheikh Hasina's dark era. As soon as he took over the interim government, he improved relations with Pakistan as a top priority. A breakthrough in diplomatic relations between the two sovereign countries came during his meeting with Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly in September. The rare visit of a top military official of Bangladesh, Army Lieutenant General Qamarul Hassan, to Pakistan in mid-January also paved the way for forgetting the bitterness of the past and starting a new era of friendship.

I believe that today a new geo-strategic scenario is emerging in our region, in which Pakistan, Bangladesh and China are in a good position to play a key role collectively to reduce India's influence in the region. The participation of the Bangladesh naval ship in the territorial waters of Pakistan reflects a historic paradigm shift in the complex diplomatic ties between both brotherly countries.

On the arrival of the new year, I had declared the year 2025 as the year of collaboration, cooperation and improvement in relations. No doubt, this year is the year of healing the wounds of the past. Only a month has passed and such positive news is emerging. We must adapt ourselves to the demands of the rapidly changing times and understand the effectiveness of making the right decision at the right time.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council. He tweets/posts @RVankwani