The visit of Deputy Prime Minister and also Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar to Bangladesh after more than a decade underscores Pakistan’s attempt to reset relations with Bangladesh, focusing on re-engagement and deeper cooperation, but also reigniting unresolved tensions over the scars of the 1971 war.

The visit comes in the wake of a political changeover in Bangladesh following the August 2024 ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government had maintained close ties with India and a hard line toward Pakistan rooted in the scars of 1971. Amid Hasina’s exit, Pakistan, China, and the United States moved swiftly to seize the void.

“Bilateral trade increased by 27 per cent to $865 million in 2024-25.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a congratulatory message last year to Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, and the two countries have since resumed direct maritime trade and military exchanges. Also contributes to its “Forces Goal 2030” military modernization program.

Dar was previously due to visit Bangladesh in April, which was abruptly cancelled due to the India-Pakistan conflict, which sparked from the deaths of tourists in the Kashmir valley by armed jihadists.

The 75-year-old leader, Dar’s, visit, the third ministerial trip since the political changeover after last year’s student uprising in Bangladesh, is an effort to boost ties that went cold after Pakistan condemned the 2013 execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah for war crimes committed in 1971.

Pakistan’s interior minister visited Dhaka in July, after a 15-year hiatus. The Commerce Minister, Jam Kamal Khan, arrived here on 21 August to advance trade relations. Bilateral trade increased by 27 per cent to $865 million in 2024-25. Bangladesh’s exports rose by up to 20pc, while Pakistan’s exports grew 28pc. For Pakistan, the goal is to boost trade volumes to $3 billion annually.

Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain said both sides emphasized the need to expand trade and investment, but Dhaka highlighted the trade imbalance. “We sought greater market access in Pakistan, especially under SAFTA, for our textiles, energy, pharmaceuticals, agro-products, and IT sector,” he said, adding that there is potential in agriculture, fisheries, and livestock, while Pakistan mentioned its interest in energy exports.

Dhaka, for five decades, has raised with Islamabad the $4.52bn asset-sharing, which was siphoned during pre-independence Pakistan. Diplomatically, Dhaka is pushing for progress on unresolved 1971 issues and the possibility of a formal apology from Pakistan over wartime atrocities. Conspicuously, Pakistan remained silent for more than 50 years, which Bangladesh argues is an unresolved issue of 1971. Dar claimed the issue had been resolved once in 1974 and again in the early 2000s when President Pervez Musharraf visited Bangladesh.

Unfortunately, Dar quoted General Musharraf, who usurped power through an extra-constitutional method and reigned over Pakistan for nine years with his swagger stick under his arms. His statement cannot be accepted as an official record, said Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Director of Genocide Studies of Dhaka University.

Dr Lubna Ferdousi, a London-based researcher on international laws, remarked on Dar’s statement as a “politically convenient fabrication.” Dar did not do his homework before embarking for Dhaka, she said. She explained that Musharraf said “regret the excesses” in 1971. But it is a political regret. There is strategic ambiguity in the interpretation of international law when the government does not accept the responsibility for wartime atrocities.

“The Tripartite Agreement expressed ‘deep regret’ over the atrocities but officers accused of war crimes were never tried.”

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan must officially convey an apology for war crimes in Bangladesh and adopt a resolution in its parliament, remarked Prof Ahmed. Without directly referring to any of the issues, Dar just said: “He [Musharraf] actually addressed that issue in a candid manner….and I think between a family, between brothers, once this is done, even Islam tells us to clean your heart.” He confidently said that the two nations should focus on moving forward instead of looking back, which angered the Interim Government, civil society, rights groups, media, and political parties, too.

In a reaction to the journalists, Foreign Adviser Touhid said, “No, I don’t. If I did, the problem would have been solved.” “Bangladesh’s position is clear: we want settlement of financial accounts, a formal apology for 1971, and repatriation of stranded Pakistanis. We strongly presented our position.”

Still, challenges loom large. Domestic sensitivities in Bangladesh over 1971 remain politically explosive, making any Pakistani reluctance to acknowledge the past a point of ongoing controversy. These unresolved historical issues shape the political context ahead of Dhaka’s elections next February, as noted by Pakistan’s leading newspaper The Dawn.

After the meeting, the two countries signed six instruments – one agreement on visa abolition for diplomatic and official passport holders and five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). The people-to-people contacts will not be possible with the visa regime of the nationals of Bangladesh and Pakistan, observed Dr Ahmed of Dhaka University.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister affirmed that the 1971 issue had been resolved twice. If it had been resolved, Pakistan’s parliament would not have passed a resolution in 2016 against the verdict of the crimes against humanity. He referred to the Simla Accord. An agreement was reached between Pakistan and India in a bid to normalize the relationship after the traumatic 1971 war on both eastern and western war fronts.

The agreement signed by Pakistan President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in July 1972 paved the way for the release of approximately 93,000 prisoners of war (POWs), including civilians surrendered in Dhaka on 16 December, and other critical border issues. Dar mentioned that the pressing issues had been resolved in the Tripartite Agreement, which was signed in 1974 by Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India at New Delhi, which is stated by Dr Lubna Ferdousi, a teacher and researcher.

The Tripartite Agreement expressed “deep regret” over the atrocities. The agreement repatriated the 195 senior military officers accused of committing war crimes and genocide were also released with a clause that Pakistan would put them on the dock according to the Pakistan Army Act, 1952. Regrettably, the officers were never tried for the crimes committed in Bangladesh.

“Reimagining the future requires symbolic and meaningful gestures to build trust and goodwill on both sides.”

Reimagining the future of Bangladesh-Pakistan relations requires a change in mindset on both sides. For Bangladesh, this means acknowledging that while the past cannot be erased, the future can be shaped by pragmatic interests and mutual respect. For Pakistan, it requires recognizing that symbolic and meaningful gestures can build trust and goodwill, wrote Sheikh Tawfique M Haque, Mohammad Parvez Hasan Yousuf jointly wrote an opinion in an independent newspaper, The Daily Star.

For Bangladesh, the legacy of the 1971 Liberation War remains etched into its national consciousness, shaping both present policies and prospects with Pakistan. This enduring discord is both a major obstacle and the defining backdrop to any path toward rapprochement, concludes the article in the Daily Star.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.