THE government of Prime Minister Hasina Wajed in Bangladesh appears to be on a mission to disrupt, even harm, ties with Pakistan.

Last week, PIA flight operations to Bangladesh were suspended after the Bangladeshi authorities conducted raids in search of a PIA official stationed in that country on what appears to be the flimsiest of grounds.

Earlier this month, a Pakistani diplomat in Dhaka was declared persona non grata and had to leave the country. In recent months, it has become increasingly difficult for Pakistanis to acquire visas for Bangladesh amidst allegations by Ms Wajed’s government that Pakistan is stoking unrest in Bangladesh and sponsoring militancy.

Officials here have strenuously denied all allegations though they have sensibly steered clear of adding to the drama and handing Bangladeshi authorities an opportunity to push matters from the merely unpleasant into the potentially dangerous.

While Ms Wajed appears to be the driving force behind this new phase of a downturn in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, it is still not entirely clear what is animating the Bangladeshi prime minister’s antipathy towards Pakistan at this particular moment.

Part of the explanation must surely be domestic — as it almost always is in politics. The Awami League government is locked in a bitter struggle with the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party yet again, with the year-old government of Ms Wajed struggling to contain a street challenge by Ms Zia’s party that is clearly meant to overthrow the Awami League government.

Invariably, jingoism, nationalism and the secular-vs-Islamist cards are trotted out in Bangladesh’s internecine political warfare — with Pakistan often being dragged into the mix because of the tragic, terrible events of the late 1960s and very early 1970s.

But it does appear that the prime minister has either miscalculated or is simply being reckless in her bid to make Pakistan a political and diplomatic issue at this point in time.

To be sure, if the Bangladesh state does have some legitimate concerns about Pakistani interference in that country, there are other ways to handle such problems. But such concerns are a two-way street.

Consider that over the years, it has been the near-constant refrain of nearly all Bangladeshi politicians that the Pakistani security establishment interferes in Bangladesh’s politics.

Meanwhile, over here in Pakistan, there are long-running suspicions about India’s role in undermining good regional relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Legitimate concerns on both sides do need to be addressed, but surely not in the present hostile climate being created by Bangladesh.

Published in Dawn March 2nd , 2015

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