In the first week of October, I hosted a delegation of Bangladesh’s next-generation leaders in Islamabad. The group was diverse: think-tank leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, technology executives – overall, they were all members of some of Bangladesh’s best-known political, academic and business families. Most were under 45. Over four days, they met a wide cross-section of Pakistanis. On the final evening, over an informal dinner at my home, they handed me a question that led to an intriguing exchange as to why Bangladesh has left Pakistan behind, economically.

I served in Bangladesh for more than 13 years in the economic development arena as part of USAID. I am keenly aware of how heavily 1971 has weighed on the relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, the Bangladesh of today is a young and different country; the overwhelming majority, by some estimates, around 80% of its people were born after 1971. Since the political change in Dhaka, attitudes on both sides have shifted. My good colleague, Jon Danilowicz (who happened to have served in both Bangladesh and Pakistan), felt it was time to reopen the doors, and to do so with the generation that will lead Bangladesh for the next quarter century.

The visit of the Bangladeshi delegation had three aims.

Americans are hardly a homogeneous nation, yet their individual ambition adds up to national strength.

Americans are hardly a homogeneous nation, yet their individual ambition adds up to national strength.

The first was to look at a bilateral partnership in digital public infrastructure – a true “southern solutions to southern problems” initiative. The new Bangladesh government has adopted the mantra of “one citizen, one ID, one wallet.” Pakistan, through NADRA, the Pakistan Digital Authority, and related institutions, has already travelled much of that road – almost perfected it. After visiting the various institutions engaged in implementing DPI culminating in an impressive briefing at NADRA, our guests were........

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