Pakistan has once again given Bangladesh reason to question how much Islamabad can actually be trusted. But behind Pakistan’s refusal to clear the route for Russian nuclear fuel lies an even larger question: is Washington steadily tightening its strategic grip over Bangladesh, while Islamabad plays the role expected of it? This question arose , after three developments that are hard to not acknowledge together.

On 7 September 2026, a fire broke out at a facility associated with the Russian-built Rooppur project. The incident damaged an internal server, computers, communication equipment and official documents. The matter did not become public immediately, although authorities later said backup copies existed and an investigation had been launched. Pertinently, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s two reactors are designed to generate 2,400 MW of reliable baseload electricity, potentially supplying around 10% of Bangladesh’s electricity demand once fully operational. It was a major strategic vision of Sheikh Hasina’s government, which revived the nuclear programme, signed the agreement with Russia in 2011 and brought the project into construction in 2017. Its completion could therefore give Bangladesh greater energy security and strategic room to manoeuvre, particularly by reducing exposure to volatile oil and gas imports.

Then came 24 September 2026. A cargo aircraft carrying Russian uranium fuel for Rooppur’s second unit was scheduled to reach Bangladesh. It did not. Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said the aircraft had not received permission to use Pakistani airspace, while Bangladeshi officials initially could not explain why........

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