Pakistan and Bangladesh are working on a proposal for Mutual Defence Agreement, which has been seen as the biggest twist of the decade in diplomatic and military relations between the two countries. According to a senior diplomatic and foreign ministry source, the two countries have formed a joint mechanism to prepare the proposed agreement.
Military-military cooperation and strategic coordination between Islamabad and Dhaka is growing rapidly, according to a high source of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. The Joint Working Mechanism has been assigned to finalize the provisions, scope, and objectives of the proposed agreement under this initiative. Bangladesh's military leadership is willing to make a strategic agreement with Pakistan in a format like defense cooperation with countries like Saudi Arabia, sources say.
In the past months, top officers of both countries have been constantly meeting and visiting between the land forces, air force, and navy. During those meetings, several agreement letters (MoUs) regarding training, capacity enhancement, military exchange, and technical cooperation have been signed, which further strengthened mutual trust and cooperation.
According to diplomatic sources, the final draft of the proposed defense agreement is likely to be finalized only after the upcoming general election in Bangladesh. After the new government is formed, it is reported that it is preparing to formally review the agreement and give approval.
With the political change after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government, there has been a significant improvement in the relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh. It seems that the military and diplomatic cooperation that has long been limited is becoming reactivated. Meanwhile, Pakistan is expanding its defense diplomacy, and at least eight countries, including Bangladesh, have shown interest in similar strategic and mutual defense agreements.
If this mutual defense agreement is completed, analysts will have an opinion of not only Pakistan-Bangladesh ties but also South Asia’s overall security and power balance.
Binod Kumar Simkhada
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