From high-profile military, diplomatic and political visits, Bangladesh and Pakistan are moving briskly when it comes to ties, despite Pakistan's history of torture, rapes and atrocities on ordinary Bangladeshis during the liberation struggle of 1971.
The push for closer ties with Pakistan has happened with Chief Adviser of the Interim Government Muhammad Yunus steering Bangladesh's foreign policy away from India, a country with which Bangladesh shares almost its entire land border.
A high-level delegation from Pakistan's military production sector met Bangladesh's Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman on Sunday in Dhaka.
"A delegation led by Lieutenant General Shakir Ullah Khattak, Chairman of Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), Pakistan, paid a courtesy call on with the Chief of Army Staff at Army Headquarters today. In addition to exchanging mutual greetings, they discussed various prospects for defence cooperation between two countries," the Bangladesh Army said in a statement.
Courtesy Call on by Chairman of Heavy Industries Taxila, Pakistan with the Chief of Army Staff
— Bangladesh Army (@BDArmyOfficial) November 23, 2025
Dhaka, 23 November 2025 (Sunday): A delegation led by Lieutenant General Shakir Ullah Khattak, Chairman of Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), Pakistan, paid a courtesy call on with the… pic.twitter.com/x6IHpd0DiA
The Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), established in 1971, is a major military industrial complex and one of the largest defence product manufacturers in Pakistan.
Pakistan and Bangladesh are also strengthening their defence cooperation, with Dhaka seeking Islamabad's help in training its fighter pilots and technical staff in an aim to improve their military collaboration between the two countries.
This will be the first formal military-aviation training exchange between the two South Asian nations, with senior pro-Pakistan military officials in the Bangladesh Army describing it as a diversification of Bangladesh's security interests and a shift from close military ties, especially training, with India.
These moves also signal a recalibration in Bangladesh's defence strategy with closer ties with Pakistan. For Pakistan, access to military facilities in Bangladesh gives it space in the future to launch anti-India operations in the case of a military conflict with a two-pronged war on two fronts.
Bangladesh is also planning to reactivate its Lalmonirhat air base, which is located 20 kilometres from the Indian border in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district. The airbase's proximity to India's Siliguri Corridor – popularly known as the "Chicken's Neck" – has led to strategic concerns, especially with irresponsible statements from the top echelons of the Bangladesh establishment.
This visit of the high-level delegation is the second high-profile visit to Bangladesh on behalf of the Pakistan military establishment in the last month.
On October 26 this year, a top Pakistan military official, Chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his visit to Dhaka.
During the meeting, they discussed a wide range of issues concerning Bangladesh-Pakistan relations, including the growing importance of bilateral trade, investment, and defence cooperation.
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan Calls on Chief Adviser
— Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) October 26, 2025
DHAKA, October 26: The visiting Chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State… pic.twitter.com/A9QmFMHk4F
General Mirza had expressed Pakistan's desire to strengthen cooperation in multiple sectors. "Our two countries will support each other," General Mirza said, adding that a two-way shipping route between Karachi and Chittagong has already begun operations, while a Dhaka-Karachi air route is expected to open within months.
Pakistani spy agency ISI's Director General of Analysis Maj Gen Shahid Amir Afsar and other senior officials of the notorious agency also visited Bangladesh in January this year.
Pakistan's Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf met Bangladesh's Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman and held talks with his counterpart Admiral M. Nazmul Hassan during his visit to bolster bilateral defence ties last month.
In the meeting with General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Admiral Ashraf discussed strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries and enhancing military capabilities of both forces.
Courtesy Call on by Chief of Naval Staff Pakistan Navy with the Chief of Army Staff
— Bangladesh Army (@BDArmyOfficial) November 9, 2025
Dhaka, 9 October 2025 (Sunday): A delegation led by Chief of Naval Staff, Pakistan Navy Admiral Naveed Ashraf paid a courtesy call on with the Chief of Army Staff at the Army Headquarters today.… pic.twitter.com/wmI0YIBSeO
They also exchanged views on the prospects of expanding military cooperation through bilateral military training, seminars, and visits.
Bangladesh and Pakistan also participated in the joint exercise AMAN, held in Karachi and the North Arabian Sea in February 2025.
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