Port of uncertainty: Bangla's Pak tilt fuels fears of Chinese nexus

According to senior officials familiar with the matter, Pakistani diplomats in Dhaka have leveraged their presence to penetrate key institutions, including the legal system, media, and educational bodies.

- ASHISH SINGH

A Pakistani cargo ship, carrying 25 metric tonnes of rice, is expected to arrive at Bangladesh's Mongla Port soon, potentially marking the first time in 53 years that a Pakistan-flagged vessel will unload cargo at the country's southern gateway. The development, under a newly inked government-to-government trade agreement, has stirred diplomatic ripples across South Asia, raising questions about Bangladesh's evolving geopolitical alignment.

For decades, Bangladesh's maritime infrastructure has primarily served as a conduit for regional connectivity, with India enjoying preferential access under agreements brokered during Sheikh Hasina's tenure. But the decision by Bangladesh's interim government to allow Pakistani ships to dock at its ports—just weeks after a political transition in Dhaka—signals a potential recalibration in the country's foreign policy.

SHIFTING TIDES IN SOUTH ASIA Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has maintained a complex relationship with Pakistan, shaped by the scars of the Liberation War and decades of political distrust. Under Sheikh Hasina, ties between Dhaka and Islamabad remained largely transactional, with the Bangladeshi government prioritizing closer economic and strategic cooperation with India.