Dhaka:
Out of concern for India, trade and maritime ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh appear to be strengthening as a second cargo ship from Karachi reaches Chittagong port this week. According to Bangladeshi media reports, the Panamanian-flagged vessel 'MV Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan' entered Bangladeshi waters on Sunday afternoon.
The ship, which traveled via Karachi, Pakistan, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is carrying a significant cargo of 811 containers of essential industrial materials such as soda ash, dolomite and marble blocks, along with goods such as clothing, raw materials, sugar, and electronic products, reported Dhaka Tribune and Daily Observer.
The development came a day after Bangladesh's interim leader Professor Muhammad Yunus met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Cairo, Egypt, where Dhaka and Islamabad “agreed to strengthen ties.”
Take care of India
The Economist Times, citing sources, reports that traders in Bangladesh are being forced to import goods from Pakistan. It also said some officials of Bangladesh's Shipping Ministry are proposing to revise the India-Bangladesh Navigation Treaty, which gave India access to Chittagong and Mongla ports.
Chittagong Port is a strategically located port in the Bay of Bengal. Over the years, India has used its relationship with deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to monitor activities at Chittagong port, where about 1,500 boxes of Chinese ammunition were seized in 2004.
The shipment, worth an estimated $4.5 to $7 million, is believed to be the mastermind of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The consignment was reportedly intended to be delivered to the banned terrorist organization ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) in India.
New Delhi fears a resurgence of Islamist extremism in Bangladesh could target India and support insurgents in northeastern states. Adding to India's concerns, Bangladesh in September removed the clause requiring port authorities to physically inspect cargo from Pakistan upon arrival. This makes it easier for Pakistani ships to use the maritime routes without physical inspection of the cargo.
Previously, restrictive trade policies under Ms. Hasina required cargo from Pakistan to be offloaded in Malaysia, Singapore or Sri Lanka and then transferred to other ships that carried it to Bangladesh. Indian officials kept a close eye on the sea routes connecting Chittagong.
Ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan
Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate who took over the leadership of Bangladesh's interim government in August, is a staunch opponent of Ms Hasina's policies, which were fundamentally pro-India and anti-Pakistan. Since coming to power, one of his areas of focus has been improving relations with Islamabad.
A major development in this regard was the establishment of direct maritime links between the two previously hostile Muslim-majority countries, which were once one country. In November, the Chinese cargo ship 'MV Yuan
Mr Yunus has also met with the Pakistani Prime Minister twice since August. The last meeting took place in Cairo, Egypt, on the sidelines of the D-8 summit.
According to a statement from the Office of the Chief Counsel, Mr Yunus stressed the importance of resolving the long-standing problems arising from the bloody 1971 separation of Dhaka from Islamabad.
In response, Prime Minister Sharif called Bangladesh a “brotherly country”, expressed optimism about strengthening ties between Islamabad and Dhaka and emphasized the need for a strategic partnership.
Both leaders “also agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries through increased trade, commerce and exchange of sports and cultural delegations,” the statement from Yunus' office said.