The Pulse | Diplomacy | South Asia

Can Pakistan Win Bangladesh’s Trust Without Apologizing for the Genocide of 1971?

The current warmth in Bangladesh-Pakistan bilateral relations is less a product of mutual trust and more a function of geopolitical calculations.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider meets Tarique Rahman, then the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, at Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 9, 2026.

On May 8, Pakistan’s interior minister and chairman of its Cricket Board, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, arrived in Dhaka for a two-day visit. His visit coincided with the Bangladesh-Pakistan cricket series, but it was not merely sports-centric. It also carried distinct political and strategic messages.

In the landscape of South Asian politics, the relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan has historically been both complex and emotionally charged. A political betrayal — Pakistan’s refusal to transfer power, ignoring the mass mandate of the Bengalis in the 1970 election, and the memories of the genocide during the 1971 Liberation War — lingered and kept bilateral relations frosty for a prolonged period. Nevertheless, amidst the shifting realities of international politics, recent times have seen the beginnings of a new diplomatic warmth between Dhaka and Islamabad.

Soon after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024, several Pakistani ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, visited Dhaka. Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, also met with Bangladesh Air Force Chief Hasan Mahmood Khan at Rawalpindi in Pakistan on January 8, 2026. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit Dhaka in June after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visits China. These visits are not merely acts of diplomatic courtesy; rather, they reflect the emerging geopolitical realities of South Asia.

The pertinent question remains whether this growing closeness between Bangladesh and Pakistan signals a new beginning. Or is it merely a fleeting mirage borne of strategic necessity?

Weight of History and the Realities of Bilateral Relations

Undoubtedly, the greatest source of unease in Bangladesh-Pakistan relations remains the 1971 war. Memories of the genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani forces on Bangladeshi intellectuals and masses, and the atrocities committed against women, remain deeply etched in the minds of the Bangladeshi people. Consequently, any initiative aimed at improving relations with Pakistan becomes inextricably intertwined with public sentiments. Political parties have often leveraged this history for their own ends, thereby rendering the issue of bilateral relations even more sensitive.

When the Awami League was in power in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2024, relations with Pakistan were frosty, especially due to the trial and conviction of several leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which collaborated with Pakistan in the 1971 war, on charges of crimes against humanity.  On several occasions, Pakistan voiced objections to the judicial proceedings, which in turn, only served to widen the rift between the two countries.

However, the political shifts in Bangladesh following Hasina’s ouster ushered in a new reality. During the interim government, there was a noticeable increase in visits to Bangladesh by Pakistani ministers and military officials, accompanied by a visible surge in diplomatic and military engagement between the two countries.

Nevertheless, the historical burden remains unresolved. Pakistan has yet to offer a full and formal apology for the genocide committed in 1971. A significant segment of the Bangladeshi population firmly believes that genuine improvement in bilateral relations is impossible without Pakistan’s acknowledgment of its culpability. Consequently, while diplomatic exchanges may have increased, the psychological distance between the two nations remains significant.

On the other hand, the reality of the modern state system dictates that, alongside emotional sentiments, strategic and economic interests are also important. Bangladesh’s burgeoning economic power within South Asia is compelling Pakistan to re-evaluate its approach to the relationship. And concurrently, as part of its........

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