Direct Trade Between Pakistan, Bangladesh Resumes For First Time Since 1971
Signalling a major shift in foreign policies, Pakistan and Bangladesh have begun direct trade, the first since the 1971 separation. The government-approved cargo has departed from Pakistan’s Port Qasim to Bangladesh.
Earlier called East Pakistan, Bangladesh separated from Pakistan in 1971, establishing an independent state. The resumption of trade relationships marks the shift in policies since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It is reported that Bangladesh agreed to purchase 50,000 tonnes of Pakistani rice through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) in early February.
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The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) vessel carrying government cargo will dock at a Bangladeshi port, reports Pakistan-based media house Express Tribune, calling the policy change a “significant milestone in maritime trade relations.”
The shipment will be completed in two phases, with the remaining 25,000 tonnes to be dispatched in early March, and the development is seen as a positive step in enhancing economic cooperation, which remained struck since the formation of Bangladesh.
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Recently, reports were suggesting that Bangladesh’s previously strained relationship with Pakistan had started to improve after the ouster of the former prime minister last year. Hasina was closely allied with India, where she reportedly stays in exile.
It is reported that public opinion towards a renewed relationship with Pakistan is mixed as some oppose the development given the war committed by then-West Pakistan against then-East Pakistan, currently Bangladesh. India had supported Bangladesh in its liberation in the 1971 war.
The political transition is observed to have brought about a diplomatic shift too as the chief advisor of the interim government in Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor of the interim government, has met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif twice, in the past few months.
