Pakistan, Bangladesh Agree On Visa-Free Entry Of Officials: How It Affects India

Pakistan and Bangladesh have reached an agreement to allow visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic and official passports, a move that would be closely watched by India. The move signals a further thaw in bilateral ties, as both sides seek to rebuild relations frosty since the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. 

The decision on visa-free entry was announced on Wednesday after a high-level meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Lieutenant General (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, in Dhaka, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

During the meeting, the two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of internal security and police training. Chowdhury and Naqvi discussed increasing collaboration on anti-narcotics and anti-human trafficking. Views were also exchanged on joint counter-terrorism measures and exchange programmes between police academies of the two countries, the report said.

Chowdhury called his Bangladesh visit extremely important to promote bilateral cooperation between Dhaka and Islamabad. He also thanked Naqvi for extending the offer of police training to Bangladeshi officials.

Growing Pakistan-Bangladesh Ties

Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have witnessed a marked improvement following the establishment of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, with the two sides trying to reset ties. Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate, is a staunch opponent of Ms Hasina's policies, which were fundamentally pro-India and anti-Pakistan. 

Pakistan has formed a joint committee, to be headed by Interior Secretary Khurram Agha, to further boost cooperation with Bangladesh. A high-level Bangladeshi delegation is set to visit Islamabad soon to tour the Safe City Project and the National Police Academy.

India Concerns

The visa-free entry of Islamabad's officials to Dhaka could enable easier movement of Inter-Services Intelligence agents and other Pakistani spies in Bangladesh. New Delhi worries that a bigger presence of Pakistani officials in Bangladesh could lead to a resurgence of anti-India Islamist extremism in Bangladesh could target India and support insurgent groups in northeastern states.