The two South Asian nations, which fought a war in 1971, are drawing closer following the change of government in Dhaka in August 2024

Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza met with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Saturday, as the two countries signal a rapprochement following the change of government in Dhaka last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign amid youth-led protests.

During their meeting, the officials discussed increasing significance of bilateral trade, investment, and defense cooperation, according to a social media post by the Yunus administration. Mirza conveyed Pakistan's interest in enhancing cooperation across multiple sectors and highlighted the significant potential for growth in trade and connectivity between the two nations, according to a press release issued by Pakistan's armed forces.

"Our two countries will support each other," Mirza told Yunus, adding that a two-way shipping route between Karachi and Chittagong had already begun operating, while a Dhaka-Karachi air route is expected to open within months.

In August, Pakistan and Bangladeshsignedsix cooperation agreements that are expected to deepen the bilateral engagement, which included visa-free travel for diplomats and government officials.

Mirza's visit, the highest-ranking by a Pakistani official to Dhaka in years, follows the ousting of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government was widely seen as pro-India, in August 2024.

Since Yunus took over as interim leader, Dhaka has begun shifting its focus away from New Delhi and moving to strengthen ties with Pakistan in an effort to rebuild relations strained since 1971, when Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan, gained independence.

Millions of Bengalis were killed in the 1971 war, and Dhaka has sought a formal apology from Pakistan for the atrocities committed by its military during the conflict. In the aftermath of the atrocities, the then-Pakistani state minister for defense, Aziz Ahmed, stated that Pakistan "condemned and deeply regretted" any crimes that may have been committed.

Since the change of government in Dhaka, the legacy of the 1971 Liberation War has come under renewed scrutiny in Bangladesh. According to local media reports, in the first week following the transition, more than 1,400 sculptures, reliefs and murals across 59 districts have reportedly been vandalized, set alight, or removed, including at the Mujibnagar Memorial Complex, where around 600 or more sculptures depicting key moments of the war were destroyed. This has sparked concern among freedom-fighter veterans and historians, who say that both the physical destruction of memorials and the narrative overhaul mark a significant shift in how Bangladesh is remembering its war of independence.

(RT.com)