Why a pro-Pakistan policy fractures Bangladesh’s national unity | World News

National unity is not something that happens by chance; It is being built slowly, brick by brick, on a foundation of collective memory and collective purpose. In Bangladesh, which emerged from the ashes of a brutal war, this unity is the most valuable asset the state has. But today we are witnessing a strange and dangerous phenomenon: the deliberate shifting of foreign policy towards Pakistan threatens to disrupt fifty years of social harmony. This isn’t just about diplomats shaking hands or signing trade deals; It’s about the inner spirit of this country. When a government decides to embrace the state that seeks to erase its people, it deals a blow to the heart of society.

To understand why this is tearing the nation apart, one must look at the magnitude of history that is being ignored. In 1971, the Pakistani army launched Operation Searchlight, a calculated campaign of massacres that resulted in the deaths of three million Bengalis. This is not a statistic that can be filed away; It is a lived reality for millions of families who still bear the scars. By warming up to Islamabad without making any apology for these crimes, the government is telling the majority of the population that their suffering does not matter. Families of freedom fighters, intellectuals who were dragged from their homes and killed two days before the victory, women who survived the camps; they are all alienated. You cannot build a united nation while the government actively disrespects the fundamental trauma of its people. This creates a situation where the state is heading in one direction, towards revisionist friendship with Pakistan, while the people are heading in the other direction, towards the truth of their own history.

This rupture is not just emotional; This has difficult and practical consequences for Bangladesh’s global standing. Over the last decade, Bangladesh has carefully built its brand as an emerging secular democracy; An anchor of stability in a chaotic region. This reputation has attracted billions of dollars of investment from Japan, the European Union and the United States. These partners are investing their money in Dhaka because they see it as different from the instability of its neighbors. But now Bangladesh risks tarnishing its brand by allying itself with Pakistan, which managed to survive on yet another IMF bailout. Pakistan is often associated with the financing of non-state actors and a foreign policy based on proxy wars. With Dhaka coming into Islamabad’s orbit, global investors will start asking tough questions.

They will wonder whether Bangladesh’s stability is an illusion and may decide that their capital is safer elsewhere. This is a classic case of a bad company damaging a good reputation, and for a country that relies heavily on exports and foreign investment, this is too high a risk to take.

Moreover, this policy exposes Bangladesh to external pressures that it has successfully avoided for a long time. Pakistan’s history is defined by its conflicts with India, Afghanistan, and its own domestic militants. By moving closer to Pakistan, Bangladesh is effectively inviting these conflicts to its doorstep. We have seen in the past how diplomatic missions can be used for other activities, such as distributing counterfeit money or supporting radical groups. Opening the door to Islamabad also means opening the door to these risks. This means that security forces in Bangladesh, who should be focusing on protecting citizens, will have to spend their resources monitoring the activities of their new “friends”. This situation diverts attention and resources from the country’s real development goals. This brings Bangladesh into the complex and often violent security architecture of South Asia; rather than allowing it to remain neutral; It is a trade-oriented country.

There is also the issue of the message this sends to the younger generation. For years, Bangladeshi youth have been taught that their country is fighting for the right to speak its own language and govern itself. They grew up with the stories of the Mukti Bahini and the sacrifices of 1971. Seeing their leaders courting the successors of the oppressive regime creates deep skepticism. He argues that principles are for sale and history is merely a tool to be used or discarded when the time comes. This kind of cynicism is poison to national unity. It causes young people to feel disconnected from the state and less willing to contribute to the future of the country. If the government does not respect the past, why should young people respect the government?

The economic contrast between the two countries makes this trend even more confusing. Bangladesh has foreign reserves that are the envy of the region; GDP growth has consistently outpaced its neighbors; Social indicators such as life expectancy and female literacy are miles ahead of Pakistan. Pakistan, on the contrary, is struggling to keep the lights on; literally. Why would a successful, rising nation want to tie itself to a failing state? It’s like a successful business owner deciding to seek advice from a bankrupt competitor. There is nothing to gain here; no technology transfer, no significant investment capital, no lessons in governance. The only thing Pakistan can export to Bangladesh is the ideology of instability, and that is the last thing Dhaka needs.

After all, national unity is the only thing that will protect Bangladesh in an unstable world. But unity requires consistency. You can’t ask people to be patriotic and then embrace the country that is trying to destroy the nation. You cannot promise stability and then import the politics of chaos. The government needs to understand that this pro-Pakistan trend is not just a foreign policy mistake; This is a family disaster waiting to happen. The consensus that holds the country together is breaking down, and once that consensus is broken, it is very, very difficult to fix it. The way forward must be through strategic autonomy; standing tall on the global stage; not as a partner of a collapsing regime, but as a proud, independent nation that knows its own value; and respects its own history.

READ ALSO | Who was CJ Roy? Self-Reliant Group chairman found dead in Bengaluru; suspected suicide