Can Pakistan challenge Indian strategic depth in the East?

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Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the contours of Pakistan’s geopolitical orientation and its engagement with India have changed considerably. India was left sharing only a hostile western border with Pakistan, its eastern border with Bangladesh no longer a security concern. From a geostrategic perspective, this considerably weakened Pakistan’s hand vis a vis India, which was no longer able to threaten India’s eastern border zones and seaboard. India was able to dedicate its military resources against a relatively smaller and weaker foe while enjoying considerable strategic depth in the east. This traditional Indian advantage may no longer remain assured, owing to a range of political and security developments.

The events of 1971 were traumatic for the Pakistani nation, and accepting the newly formed state of Bangladesh was a difficult question. Pakistan’s political elite at the time, led by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, decided to accept Bangladesh as a new nation under pressure and persuasion from Muslim world leaders. This helped bilateral engagement, but a comprehensive normalization of ties only occurred after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib in a military coup led by General Zia ur Rehman, who assumed power in 1975. Since then the relationship has improved, and was exceptionally cordial during the two governments of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the widow of General Zia, while remaining lukewarm........

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