Bangladesh Visa Rules Eased For Pakistanis, Sparks Concerns For India

Amid shifting Bangladesh-Pakistan ties, and growing proximity between the two countries, the interim government has removed the requirement for Pakistani citizens to get a security clearance before applying for a visa.

The clearance requirement was introduced in 2019 amid tensions and broader security measures.

However, this new policy removed such constraints when it was introduced through an announcement by the Security Services Division (SSD) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, on December 2.

This shift came a day before Pakistan's high commissioner to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof, met with Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Dhaka on December 3.

This drew attention especially after the Bangladesh government allowed cargo vessel movement directly from Karachi to Chittagong in November.

Zia's party has historically kept closer ties with Pakistan unlike Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, who had kept a more pro-India stance. There is growing uncertainty about Bangladesh's new diplomatic and political outlook as well.

"This signals not a shift but a balancing act by Bangladesh. Bangladeshi officials are persistently stating that they want a friendly relationship with India though India is not reciprocating that. They not only gave refuge to Hasina but politicians are using inflammatory remarks based on half-truth and disinformation on Bangladesh", Mubashar Hasan, an expert on Bangladesh politics and executive director of the Sydney Policy and Analysis Centre in Australia, told ThePrint.

"So it seems by normalising relationships with India's arch-rival Pakistan, Bangladesh's administration is signalling that it is not going to see South Asian politics through [an] Indian prism anymore. Whether in the long run, Bangladesh can continue to afford that remains to be seen as the West-specifically the US-sees South Asia through [an] Indian prism and the US is a vital ally for Bangladesh. Having said that, India, too, must realise its neighbourhood policy is in shambles."

The security clearance poses serious questions for India's security, especially in the North East as there are rising concerns that the evolving political landscape in Bangladesh could facilitate extremist groups in the region.