Pakistan Bangladesh Inching Closer
NEW DELHI, Nov 18: Bangladesh and Pakistan seem to be inching close to each other since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in August. A Pakistani cargo ship docked at Bangladesh’s Chittagong port last week, marking the first-ever direct maritime contact between the two countries in over five decades.
The vessel from Karachi has successfully unloaded its containers at Bangladesh’s south-eastern coast, port officials said, as both sides seek to rebuild ties frosty since the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
The direct maritime links between Pakistan and Bangladesh underscores a historic shift in the traditionally complex relationship between India’s western and eastern neighbours. It also has implications on New Delhi’s security establishment especially due to Bangladesh’s proximity to India’s north-eastern states.
The Panama-flagged Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan, a 182-metre (597-foot) long container ship, had sailed from Pakistan’s Karachi to Bangladesh’s Chittagong. The ship had offloaded its cargo in Bangladesh on November 11 before leaving port.
Chittagong port authorities reportedly said the ship brought goods from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, including raw materials for Bangladesh’s key garment industry and basic food items.
Pakistani goods were previously transferred onto feeder vessels, usually in Sri Lanka, Malaysia or Singapore, before being transported to Bangladesh. However, in September, Bangladesh, under the new interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, eased import restrictions on Pakistani goods, which previously required a mandatory physical inspection on arrival resulting in long delays.
The opening of the direct maritime link is being seen as an attempt by Bangladesh’s interim government to have robust ties with Pakistan. There has been widespread discussion on social media in Bangladesh after a post by Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka, Syed Ahmed Maroof, about the direct shipping route being “a major step” in boosting trade between the two nations. The route will “promote new opportunities for businesses on both sides”, Mr Maroof wrote on Facebook.
(Manas Dasgupta)
