Data darbar, Shrine in Lahore, Pakistan

Did you hear the biggest joke of the new year? Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar has announced that Pakistan will help Bangladesh in every possible way!What can I say? I can’t help but recall the images from last year when people in Pakistan were standing in long queues just to get flour; it only reminds me of the Hindi adage: “Paas mein kaudi nahin, baatne chale revdi” (a pauper offering charity!)Ishaq Dar is planning to visit Bangladesh next month, and he seems to be overly enthusiastic. So much so that he called Bangladesh a “lost brother” while conveniently forgetting the horrific massacres and rapes that the Pakistani army carried out in 1971 in the house of the very same “brother” who wasn’t lost at the time. Now, since Sheikh Hasina is no longer in power and Bangladesh is under a government that appears to be sowing seeds of hatred against India, Pakistan seems to think it can build close ties with Bangladesh. That’s why it is bragging about providing every assistance. The reality, however, is that Bangladesh is so far ahead that it could practically buy Pakistan if it wanted to.In the last decade, Pakistan’s economic growth rate has fluctuated between 3% and 4%, dipping below 1% for two years during this period. In sharp contrast, Bangladesh’s growth rate has remained consistently above 6% over the same period. When Sheikh Hasina was ousted, the size of Bangladesh’s economy was estimated at $454 billion while that of Pakistan was estimated at $114 billion less, at $340 billion. The situation does not seem to have changed much even now.Now, let’s take a look at the poverty level in both countries. According to World Bank data from 2022, the poverty rate in Bangladesh was below 11% while in Pakistan, it had risen to over 39%. Pakistan’s own economic survey says that last year its per capita annual income was $1,568, compared to Bangladesh’s $2,687. So imagine what kind of assistance Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar is talking about? While calling Bangladesh “lost brother”, Dar should check the economic figures from the time when that brother was still part of Pakistan. In 1960, the per capita income in West Pakistan was 30% higher than that in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). By 1970, this disparity had risen to 80%.While offering assistance, Dar conveniently forgot that Bangladesh, a country where cotton farming is minimal, has become the second-largest textile exporter in the world, only behind China. Last year, Bangladesh registered exports worth $64 billion in the goods and services sector while Pakistan managed only $35 billion worth of exports. Bangladesh achieved this milestone under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership. I admit Sheikh Hasina might have had a strong demeanour, but who can deny that if a country is to progress, it must deal firmly with disruptive elements? Sheikh Hasina curbed extremism and steered the country onto a better path, but she was ousted through a conspiracy. Foreign powers conspired to remove Sheikh Hasina and install a government that would trouble India. To such powers, I’d like to say: Bringing together three two-foot tall people doesn’t make them six-foot tall! India is like a flowing river, and no one can stop it. India understands that stagnation only leads to accumulation of filth.Now, Pakistan seems to have a delusion that it can exploit the situation and use Bangladesh as a tool, believing that some of India’s neighbours are unhappy with it. But the real question is: If Bangladesh follows Pakistan and ends up in economic ruin, will its people tolerate it? This question is critical because Bangladesh cannot think of running its affairs smoothly without India. Bangladesh shares 94% of its borders with India, and the country is nearly landlocked. In such a scenario, how long can Bangladesh’s current leadership continue its anti-India rhetoric? Without cooperation with India, how long can Bangladesh’s economic stability be maintained?Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to play the religious card in Bangladesh. However, those in power in Bangladesh must realise that 9% of the population there consists of Hindus, and in government jobs, this proportion is around 15%. No matter how hard Pakistan tries, India cannot be removed from this entire scenario.However, there is a serious doubt: Is Muhammad Yunus steering the country towards dictatorship? Sheikh Hasina is no longer in power, and Khaleda Zia, who had been demanding early elections, has also left for London. This means there is a complete void in political leadership! However, Sheikh Hasina is a leader who can rise from the ashes. Her party may have gone underground, but it does not cease to exist.It is evident that the Pakistani army and ISI want to steer Bangladesh down Pakistan’s path. Be cautious, Muhammad Yunus! The same Pakistani army that you are inviting to train Bangladesh’s military, along with ISI, is the one that has driven Pakistan into a living hell. Do you also wish to lead Bangladesh towards the same hell?

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