Pak-Bangla In Talks After 15 Years Amid India Tensions, Shifting Regional Dynamics

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – After a 15-year pause, Pakistan and Bangladesh have resumed foreign secretary-level talks, signaling a notable shift in South Asian diplomacy.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka on April 15 for a series of meetings with her Bangladeshi counterpart Md Jashim Uddin.

The renewed dialogue comes at a time of rising regional tension, with India closely monitoring developments amid growing concerns over Dhaka’s evolving foreign policy stance.

NDTV reports that Pakistan is seeking to reassert its influence in Bangladesh, taking advantage of the interim government’s pivot towards China and a cooling of ties with India. Since Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus took charge in Bangladesh, India’s traditional strategic foothold has been under strain.

Observers have noted a troubling rise in extremist rhetoric within Bangladesh and moves that appear to distance the country from its founding ideals. The release of figures like Jashimuddin Rahmani — leader of the al-Qaida-affiliated Ansarullah Bangla Team — has drawn criticism and raised fears of a growing space for radical groups.

Analysts say that Pakistan has played a role in enabling anti-India narratives in the country.

NDTV noted that Bangladesh’s Dhaka University lifted a ban on Pakistani student admissions that had been in place since 2015 — a ban originally imposed to pressure Pakistan for accountability over the 1971 war atrocities. No such acknowledgment or apology has yet been issued by Islamabad.