Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to begin a three-day visit to Dhaka this weekend, a trip that India is expected to watch closely as it includes meetings with figures across Bangladesh’s political spectrum — including leaders of the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.
Dar will hold talks with Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s Interim Government Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain, and opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia. However, his scheduled engagement with Jamaat-e-Islami — a radical Islamist group previously banned in Bangladesh for alleged terror links and known for its anti-India stance — has sparked unease. The group has long been accused of suppressing minorities and opposing Dhaka’s liberation struggle from Pakistan in 1971.
The visit comes amid a broader push by Bangladesh’s interim administration to reset ties with Islamabad. Yunus has publicly stated his intent to resolve “outstanding grievances” from 1971 and expand cooperation in trade and investment. Pakistan has responded warmly, with recent exchanges including visits by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan. Both countries have also agreed to visa-free entry for diplomatic passport holders, the revival of their long-dormant Joint Economic Commission, and the launch of direct shipping routes, with Pakistani airlines cleared to begin flights soon.
Dar’s trip underscores how quickly Dhaka-Islamabad ties are thawing after years of estrangement, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government last year. Meanwhile, India-Bangladesh relations have soured, with Dhaka accusing New Delhi of sheltering Awami League members — allegations India has firmly denied as “misplaced.”
For New Delhi, Dar’s outreach to Bangladesh’s radical forces, coupled with warming state-level ties between Dhaka and Islamabad, could signal a shifting alignment in the region — one that complicates India’s already strained relationship with its eastern neighbor.