After a devastating earthquake that left 900 people dead and 3, 000 injured in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar region, according to a Taliban official, and destroyed villages and buildings, rescuers are attempting to reach remote areas.
The death toll is likely to rise.
Ehsanullah Ehsan, the provincial director of disaster management, announced early on Tuesday that work would be expanded to more of the mountainous areas of the area.
According to Ehsan, “we cannot accurately predict how many bodies might still be buried beneath the rubble.”
According to him, “our goal is to finish these operations as soon as we can and to begin distributing aid to the affected families,” adding that some of the injured have been transferred to hospitals in Kabul and the nearby Nangarhar province.
Eastern Afghanistan was the country’s most lethal country to have experienced just before midnight on Sunday, when a shallow earthquake of magnitude 6 struck just before midnight.
Volunteers are unable to reach remote areas along the Pakistani border, where largely mud-brick homes have been destroyed, due to the mountainous terrain.
Ehsan claims that the main challenge facing relief efforts has been getting vehicles on the steep mountain roads.
Extremely challenging
The World Health Organization (WHO) once again stated in a situational update that the destruction of roads and the remoteness of many villages “severely impedes the delivery of aid.”
The WHO claimed that more than 12, 000 people had been affected by the health system’s fragility prior to the earthquake, which means local capacity is completely strained, making them dependent on external actors.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) acting deputy head of delegation in Afghanistan, Homa Nader, stated to Al Jazeera that the road reconstruction project has become “nearly impossible.”
“There are still challenges to overcome. We had Andma, the disaster management directive that was released yesterday, along with heavy equipment to allow humanitarian organizations like the Afghan Red Crescent Society to conduct search and rescue operations, but it’s incredibly challenging, Nader said.
She continued, “absolutely likely that those [death toll] numbers will dramatically increase because we are not getting to the most remote villages as of yet,” while the organization is still awaiting a full incident report.
Due to its location near the confluence of the Indian and Eurasian plates, Afghanistan has previously experienced devastating earthquakes.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, China and Russia presented their vision for a new international order to countries that shared the Beijing-led economic and security agenda with new financial incentives.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made remarks that were widely perceived as criticism of the United States at the summit on Monday, claiming that “global governance has reached a new crossroads.”
Xi urged people to continue to speak out against hegemonism and power politics and practice genuine multilateralism.
Vladimir Putin’s comments echoed those of Xi, who claimed that the SCO would “revive” “genuine multilateralism” as it lay the political and socioeconomic foundation for the creation of a new system of stability and security in Eurasia.
More than 20 leaders, primarily from the Middle East and Asia, gathered on Sunday and Monday for the summit in Tianjin, a city in northern China, to speak with Xi and Putin.
The 10-member SCO, which includes more than a dozen permanent dialogue partner nations, including Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Qatar, and Turkiye, is seen as an alternative to the majority of US-led international institutions. It also includes much of Central Asia, Russia, China, India, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Belarus.
Xi outlined grander goals for the bloc at the summit despite the fact that the SCO’s activities have largely been symbolic since its founding in 2001.
Xi demanded the establishment of a new SCO development bank and announced grants worth 2 billion RMB ($280 million) and additional 10 billion RMB ($1.4 billion) in loans for SCO members.
According to Eric Olander, the editor-in-chief of The China-Global South Project, the institution’s transition into international finance represents a significant turning point.
It has been largely ineffective with few notable accomplishments since the organization’s founding 24 years ago, according to the organization’s founder. As the membership grows and Xi backs the SCO with development finance money, which is something we haven’t seen before, he told Al Jazeera, “I think that’s going to change.”
A new “Global Governance Initiative” (GGI) was also provided by Xi.
Olander said Xi’s speech provides insight into Beijing’s global ambitions despite being sparse on specifics beyond promoting values like “multilateralism” and “sovereign equality.”
With the GGI, Xi basically declares the loudest that China is attempting to establish a parallel global governance system with the US and the European-led order, something that would have been unthinkable ten years ago.
He attributed the shift to the Global South’s desire for greater influence in international affairs and the perceptions of the US’s role in global affairs.
Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, China’s push for multilateralism comes at a time when both countries are increasingly distrustful of one another. SCO members and sometimes-rivals, such as China and India, have shared grievances with each other.
Following skirmishes along their joint Himalayan border, New Delhi and China’s ties to one another fell in 2020.
According to analysts, Trump’s trade war has accelerated the thawing of diplomatic ties between the nations, despite the country’s relations beginning to normalize last year as a result of a border agreement.
The summit, which took place just days after Trump imposed a punitive 50% tariff on Indian goods and criticized India for its exports of Russian energy, was a chance for Xi and Narendra Modi to resolve their disagreements.
Another example of diplomatic unity was witnessed when Xi, Modi, and Putin were filmed conversing and walking together.
The majority of the world’s leaders attending the SCO will stay in China this week to attend a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to honor the end of World War II in Asia.
Manchester United’s decision to pay £18. M for 23-year-old goalkeeper Senne Lammens has a strong influence on “Project 150.”
In September 2024, chief executive Omar Berrada first outlined the plan to aim for the Premier League title in 2028, the year the organization celebrated its 150th anniversary.
In an interview with the reputable United We Stand fanzine in June of this year, Berrada reaffirmed his position, “Why not aim for it”?
The decision was made less than 12 hours before the transfer window was closed in keeping with the overall plan for a better future.
Instead of requesting Emiliano Martinez to lead the M6, which United had hoped would take place almost as soon as the season ended, United instructed Lammens to board a private jet and travel to Manchester.
Sources claim that the issue was simple.
Firstly, United is aware that after the 2024-2005 fiasco, significant improvement is required this season. However, Berrada and the club’s owners are pursuing a bigger goal with “Project 150.”
Martinez is respected by United. They accept that the international from Argentina has Premier League credentials.
He won the World Cup and has competed at the highest levels. He made more errors leading to shots last season (6) than Andre Onana of United, which is unfortunate.
Even head coach Ruben Amorim says: “It’s difficult to be a Manchester United goalkeeper at this time. But Martinez has the personality to deal with that.”
Lammens is on the opposite end of the scale for experience. The 6’4″ stopper has made 93 appearances for the Belgian Pro League, of which only 52 have been made.
In November 2023, Royal Antwerp defeated Porto 2-0 to claim his only Champions League victory. He has yet to receive a full cap despite being first chosen for the Belgium senior squad in March.
However, United pointed to someone who merited closer scrutiny, which minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been working hard to improve.
According to club sources, Lammens ranks highly in key metrics like claimed crosses, shot stopping, preventing goals from rebounds and mistakes, or rather the lack of them.
They claim Lammens also recorded the most “progressive” passes for any goalkeeper under the age of 23 and that he saved more saves than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top 10 leagues.
Director of football Jason Wilcox stated that Lammens was the subject of “significant interest from a number of clubs” in the statement confirming his arrival.
Crucially, Lammens will be 26 when United reach Berrada’s “Project 150” point, and he should be in his prime. Martinez will have 35 .
Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko, two other Aston Villa players, presented a similar challenge to the Old Trafford hierarchy, it might be argued. They selected Sesko.
The difference is that United had already selected two Premier League players with “oast ready” in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for their attacking zone prioritizing this summer.
After the final few days of the deal-making process began to take shape, they made the decision to add Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana to their goalkeeping lineup at the expense of strengthening their midfield.
Lammens was not a recent addition to United’s radar. They spoke to Royal Antwerp earlier this summer after being first connected with him last season.
From that point on, the Belgian was eager to make the move. The clubs’ negotiations broke out again in the middle of last week, and a deal was struck that was activated on Monday morning.
United is aware of the risk involved.
While Onana or Bayindir could still be sold to clubs in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, the specifics of who will be Amorim’s first-choice goalkeeper are unknown.
Lammens makes strong recommendations, aside from the data.
One of Belgium’s best keepers, Thibaut Courtois, gives him a high recommendation. Former Club Brugge team-mate Simon Mignolet is also in the same boat.
His greatest strength is his shot stopping, according to HLN. Axel Brisart, a reporter for BE’s Royal Antwerp, is here.
He “has great reflexes on the line” and made some excellent saves.
He likes to play ball and is very proactive. Any team looking to add some tempo to their play can use him with great feet and his passing as a big help.
Sesko’s 90-minute appearance at Grimsby in the EFL Cup, which left him with severe cramp at the end of the match, has been made a part of his new life at Old Trafford with a few substitute appearances in the Premier League.
Lammens cannot be treated similarly by Amorim. United won’t play a cup game until January because of that shocking defeat at Blundell Park.
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tactical analysis
Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent
Although the Belgian excels in terms of data, it is crucial to consider both his strengths and weaknesses in terms of perspective.
The 23-year-old has an intimidating frame and is primarily a shot stopper, tall at 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Last year, he recorded the most saves of any keeper in Europe’s top 10 leagues (173) and at an 80% save rate. In goals prevented last season, he was also second only to Anderlecht’s Colin Coosemans.
He frequently anticipates the direction of shots using good footwork, allowing him to position himself behind the ball’s trajectory to catch it.
He advances before holding his position in one-on-one situations, reducing the angle for his or her foes who are dangerously shooting. Given how wide he spreads himself and how frequently he uses his feet to make saves, he is more prone to conceding from quickly taken shots, but his approach is fairly successful in smothering chances.
His crosses stopped percentage, which is the highest in Europe for the past year, is 13.2%.
However, it’s interesting to watch his work at corners and crosses. Lammens is eager to take the ball in an aerial assault. When they are floated high and in unison, he can catch a lot of them because of this.
He ends up stepping out in situations where he is less likely to win the ball, leading to corners scrambles, because he is being proactive. He will need to strike a balance between these two.
His proactivity and confidence are positive traits. His men should benefit Amorim’s men as well as his ability to reduce his opponent’s shooting angles in one-on-one situations.
Before a draining window at Newcastle United finally closed, this was the mantra behind the scenes.
And with good reason.
The result of Newcastle’s sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a record-breaking £125 million and the signing of Yoane Wissa from Brentford was a breathless finale, which proved to be so.
Newcastle’s signing of a dependable Premier League player in Wissa relieves fans on Tyneside, who has never played for a club outside of Germany.
But, after holding firm for so long, Newcastle have also lost one of the best strikers in the world to the champions on deadline day.
When Isak was bouncing up and down in a celebratory huddle at St James’ Park after Newcastle won qualification on the final day of last season, it seemed like an unthinkable prospect for outsiders.
Isak saga typifies draining window
Of course, losing Isak was never in the original plan.
Instead of selling their best player to a team they defeated in the Carabao Cup final back in March, Newcastle wants to one day compete with Liverpool for the biggest trophies.
In a statement, last month, Newcastle did not even foresee the conditions of sale being met as the saga dragged on weeks after Liverpool’s opening £110m bid was rejected.
This player had three years left on his contract, but giving in on the last day could have set a precedent.
The club was already in the dark due to Isak’s absence. Could the wantaway Swede really have been reintegrated if he did not get the move he desired in the final throes of the window? Was there a chance that if he remained unmoved, his value would only decline further?
After the 25-year-old sat out the campaign’s first few weeks and made an explosive statement that “change is in the best interests of everyone,” it seemed like there would be a long way back for Isak with the fanbase.
It was just last week that Newcastle fan Ian Cuthbertson vowed he would “never accept him again” while Mal Colledge said the “whole thing just leaves a sour taste”.
Suzanna Armstrong, a fellow supporter, said, “No one is irreplaceable.”
However, Debra Woodall acknowledged that it would be “hard to replace him” as Isak helped Newcastle end a 70-year wait for a significant domestic trophy wearing a commemorative home shirt.
“Hopefully they find someone who puts the ball in the back of the net”, she said.
No one scored more non-penalty goals in the Premier League last season than Wissa, and the club believes Woltemade’s qualities will help them reach the top flight in the future.
After Brentford rejected two previous bids, Newcastle’s interest in Wissa was well documented, so sources close to the deal even disputed that it was taking place last week.
They said that Stuttgart would not sell – regardless of the buying club – following Bayern Munich’s previous failed pursuit.
For context, Woltemade’s flight from Stuttgart to Tyneside for his medical was scheduled at the time.
In contrast to well-known bids for Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko, and Joao Pedro, Newcastle had acted so quickly and secretly that details only eventually surfaced after the deal was done.
From the outside, the £69m move happened rapidly. Even the participants even described it as being “very quick.” Following a string of setbacks in his search for a center-forward, head coach Eddie Howe had been anticipating this for a while.
“Although it seems quick to you guys, it’s not quick to us”, Howe said. Because you are in other people’s hands, it’s labored and slow.
That expression could just as easily have been used to describe the entire window.
Howe had previously labelled last summer as the most difficult of his career after Newcastle struggled to make a major signing and dashed to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to avoid a breach of profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
players who are “distant” to join, etc.
Newcastle had set out to do business early.
However, it came to the point where they could have assembled a formidable five-a-side team of adversaries.
For instance, James Trafford, according to what it is known, was “super excited” about joining Newcastle before the negotiations with Burnley stalled over the fee.
Manchester City went on to activate their buyback clause and matched Newcastle’s offer for their former goalkeeper, who chose to return to Etihad Stadium.
A new theme started to emerge.
Even though Benjamin Sesko’s camp described Newcastle as a “great club with great people” and said they were “a great club with great people,” those closest to the striker previously did not believe it was the “right time” to relocate to St James’ Park when the club first expressed an interest in the club in 2022.
History repeated itself once again last month when Sesko opted to join what he called a “historical club” in Manchester United.
Of course, Newcastle has its own tradition, but in the first few months of the window, they had a difficult time challenging the established order for such players.
These clubs have higher income streams than their predecessors, according to Joao Pedro, who was also a target when he watched Chelsea win titles growing up.
Manchester United (£364.7m) and Chelsea (£337.8m) were among five Premier League sides who splashed out more on salaries than Newcastle generated in revenue (£320.3m) in their most recently published accounts from 2023-24.
In the same time period, Newcastle’s wage bill was eighth highest, and the club became even more determined to sign players who were “desperate” to move after a number of setbacks this summer.
Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, and Bruno Guimaraes, who were the club’s most successful signings under Howe, were praised for their fitting roles when they arrived at the club in deep relegation trouble in 2022.
Three of Newcastle’s most expensive additions this summer – Woltemade, Wissa and Anthony Elanga – did not think twice once they learned of the club’s interest.
Malick Thiaw also didn’t need much convincing to leave AC Milan for Newcastle.
Before his £35 million move to Germany was approved, Thiaw was a few weeks into a training camp in the Lake District when the topic of Newcastle emerged.
Paul Winsper, a high performance consultant, who previously worked for Newcastle, was on hand to offer his thoughts.
“We all resided in the same house,” said Winsper. Come on, we joked about it. Join Newcastle! ‘
He inquired, “What’s it like?” I said, “Astonished.”
“I lived in the US for 16 years and I had always had this yearning to come back to the North East and be back in my roots.
More boardroom adjustments to cards
This was one of a series of deals Newcastle agreed without a sporting director or CEO.
CEO Darren Eales gave his notice last autumn after being diagnosed with a persistent form of blood cancer, while sporting director Paul Mitchell left the club in June.
So it was up to co-owner Jamie Reuben and assistant head of recruitment Andy Howe to assume additional responsibilities.
Given the upheaval at boardroom level, and the challenging start to the window, recruiting six first-team players felt like a distant prospect at one point.
And Eddie Howe was the first to acknowledge that Newcastle made the most of the situation by avoiding a sporting director and CEO.
In the upcoming windows, filling these positions will be crucial, and Newcastle intends to do so. They have already hired Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, who will report to Mitchell’s replacement and head the club’s football data operations.
Mitchell’s assertion that Newcastle’s recruitment processes were” not fit for purpose “understandably dominated headlines a year ago, but he also made a nuanced point about how clubs who were even more data-informed prospered last summer.
Newcastle did not want to lose their director of football intelligence, and it is understood that the club’s pursuit of Gopaladesikan began last fall.
However, it was quite interesting that Newcastle were willing to wait until July to find a “technical director,” as stated by Playermaker’s vice-president of sports performance Steve Barrett.
” He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, “Barrett said”. His game is always piqued by his enthusiasm and enthusiasm. He perfectly embodies what Newcastle stands for.
Gopaladesikan is only in his early thirties, but the American mathematician has already had spells at Atalanta and Benfica, and he also worked with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund during his time as a product manager at Microsoft.
This seems like a timely appointment given the fierce competition Newcastle faced for top targets, even though Gopaladesikan’s extensive role will only be one thing.
“enables them to reinvest very well,” the statement says.
Where does Newcastle move forward with this summer, then?
That question will be answered on the field in the coming weeks and months as Howe’s side attempt to fight on four fronts following the additions of Woltemade, Wissa, Elanga, Thiaw, Jacob Ramsey and Aaron Ramsdale.
But what about off-it?
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire compared the sale of Isak to the £100 million deal that Aston Villa purchased from Manchester City in 2021 for Jack Grealish.
” Newcastle were out of the woods from a PSR point of view, but this will certainly help them satisfy the Uefa squad cost rules because player sale profits go into the equation when you’re working out your 70% wages-to-revenue line, “Maguire said”. They will be able to make wise reinvestments.
They won’t have that much financial freedom when they were forced to use a few windows to do nothing for a few months. You don’t want that repeating, especially when the club are ambitious and aspirational”.
Islamabad, Pakistan – On a windswept, overcast morning on August 23, when Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, flew to Bangladesh, which had previously been divided with Pakistan 54 years ago, a senior Pakistani official made the first appearance in 13 years.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, struck an optimistic tone, calling the “historic” tour the start of “a new phase of our reinvigorated partnership”.
He acknowledged the “significant progress” made over the past year in bilateral relations and praised the thaw.
In order to address challenges and realize their shared dreams, Dar urged “we must work together to create an environment where youth from Karachi to Chittagong, Quetta to Rajshahi, Peshawar to Sylhet, and Lahore to Dhaka join hands and face challenges”
His visit symbolised a breakthrough after months of diplomatic and military engagements between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Since Sheikh Hasina, a former Bangladeshi prime minister, was ousted in August 2024 amid widespread perceptions that he was close to India and forced to leave as a result of massive student protests, relations have deteriorated dramatically.
Former Pakistani ambassador to China Masood Khalid, however, warned that the past is still putting strain on trust-building between the two countries.
“The new government of Bangladesh has responded positively to Pakistan’s gestures. He told Al Jazeera, “It is obvious that there were artificial barriers to close relationships that have now been eliminated.”
He claimed that the current requirement was a “framework for deeper engagement, where constructive dialogue can dispel misunderstandings.”
Military and diplomatic engagements intensify
Few analysts anticipated such a quickening of ties, or the regular, high-level exchanges that followed, despite Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meeting Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, the interim government’s leader, twice last year.
General Asim Munir, the head of Pakistan’s army, was met by Lieutenant General S. M. Kamr-ul-Hassan of the Bangladesh Army in Islamabad in January. In February, Bangladesh’s naval chief, Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan, followed, and two months later, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch travelled to Dhaka.
Pakistan’s four-day clash with India in May had delayed Dar’s travel, but Mohsin Naqvi, the minister of interior, came to Dhaka in July.
General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the head of the Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and Lieutenant General Muhammad Faizur Rahman, the quartermaster general of the Bangladesh Army in Pakistan, were also present when Dar and the other day had discussions in Dhaka.
Delwar Hossain, an international relations professor at the University of Dhaka, said that Pakistan’s “hasty efforts” to strengthen ties are strategic.
Even under the Hasina government, Pakistan was attempting to normalize relations. They now see a chance to rekindle the friendship they had in the post-75 era, he told Al Jazeera, referring to the time following Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s death and Hasina’s father’s death.
Relations between Islamabad and Dhaka normalised under Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh’s military chief-turned-president, who led the country from late 1975 until he, too, was assassinated in 1981.
Bangladesh’s ties to India and Pakistan are historically a binary of friendship and hostility,” according to the government. Pakistan may also want to take advantage of the conflicting bilateral relationships between Bangladesh and India. This is a common diplomatic practice”, Hossain added.
The legacy of Bangladesh’s war of independence
Islamabad and New Delhi have been examining their ties to Bangladesh through the lens of their conflict, a force that was sparked by Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.
When Pakistan and India gained independence from Britain in 1947, Pakistan was created as a Muslim-majority state with two geographically separated wings.
Around 34 million people from various ethnicities lived in the western region, and it was perceived as dominant. With more than 42 million Bengali speakers, East Pakistan, the eastern wing, which would eventually become Bangladesh, was more populous. India stood between the two parts of Pakistan.
India backed the Bengali liberation struggle as the east’s tensions grew. An estimated 200 000 women were allegedly raped by Pakistan’s military and allied militias, killing hundreds of thousands of people and injuring thousands more.
With India’s military backing, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his Awami League party led Bangladesh to independence. He was the first president of the nation.
Hasina, who led Bangladesh for 16 years before being removed last year, is viewed as being akin to India, where she has lived since last year.
Aizaz Chaudhry, Pakistan’s former foreign secretary, said that the shared grievances over India’s “regional hegemony” have spurred Islamabad and Dhaka to repair ties.
We in Pakistan witnessed Indian hegemony during the May conflict because Bangladeshis have known about it. He told Al Jazeera that both countries now understand the importance of a balance of power in South Asia.
In May, India and Pakistan fought a brief but intense four-day aerial war after gunmen killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in an attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad rejects claims that India is to blame Pakistan for the attack.
Despite India being a significant neighbor, Dhaka’s relationship with New Delhi was described as “lukewarm,” according to Shahab Enam Khan, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs.
“Anti-India sentiment is often exaggerated”, he said. Bangladesh has a history of avoiding bilateral relations with Pakistan through a narrow military or economic perspective.
China’s growing role
Regional dynamics are further complicated by China’s growing influence in South Asia. Although the two Asian giants are otherwise rivals, Beijing, a close ally of Islamabad, and Hasina were close friends.
Hossain of Dhaka University claimed that even after Hasina’s ouster, China managed to maintain a significant presence in Bangladesh. In March, Yunus visited Beijing, followed by Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman’s weeklong China trip in August.
He continued, referring to Chinese-made aircraft that Pakistan also had and that Islamabad used during the May conflict and that Bangladesh is considering purchasing 12 J-10C fighter jets to boost its air power. China is Pakistan’s most important strategic partner, providing both investment and economic loans as well as military equipment.
“These developments are bringing Dhaka and Islamabad closer, transforming ties into a strong partnership”, Hossain said.   ,
During Dar’s August visit to Dhaka, Pakistani and Bangladeshi officials held several meetings. [Handout/Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
Trade, politics as countries seek partnership
Meetings between Dar and Touhid Hossain, the adviser for foreign affairs, and Yunus, were a highlight of Dar’s two-day visit to Bangladesh.
He also met with members of the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which led the revolts that toppled Hasina.
Those meetings were particularly significant as Bangladesh is preparing for elections in early 2026, said Abdul Basit, a former Pakistani high commissioner to India. Pakistan and Bangladesh will forge ahead, he declared to Al Jazeera, “No matter what happens between India and Bangladesh.” We have issues from the past, but they can be skillfully addressed and shouldn’t serve as barriers.
Both could benefit from closer economic relations, too, suggested Pakistan’s former China ambassador Khalid and Dhaka University’s Hossain.
Bangladesh is one of South Asia’s economies with a growth rate of 6% since 2021. Pakistan’s economy is in decline, growing by 2.5 percent last year. At the moment, bilateral trade is modest, tilted towards Pakistan, whose exports to Bangladesh totalled $661m in 2024, compared with $57m in imports.
However, Hossain claimed that if the two nations attempted to revitalize trade relations, they could each gain from the other, both as a potential market and as a source of raw materials.
According to the academic, Pakistan could gain from the importation of cotton, textiles, rice, cement, fruits, and processed foods. On the other hand, Pakistan can import jute and jute products, hydrogen peroxide, chemicals and tobacco products from Bangladesh.
He noted that “Bangladesh and Pakistan have a combined population of 430 million people, which is more than twice the size of West Europe.”
There are still historical qualms.
The deepest fault line in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations is the legacy of the 1971 war.
Dhaka is still pressing for an official apology for the crimes.
Additionally, Bangladesh’s more than 200 000 Urdu-speaking Muslims are at odds with one another. After the partition in 1947, the community had mostly moved to East Pakistan from Bihar in present-day India. Geographically, East Pakistan and Bangladesh were geographically closer to Bihar than West Pakistan. However, Islamabad is reluctant to accept that Bangladesh, which was founded on Bengali nationalism in 1971, has only granted limited rights to Urdu-speaking Muslims.
Bangladesh also seeks a division of the pre-1971 assets of the state of Pakistan, and the transfer of aid that was promised by West Pakistan to East Pakistan in 1970 after a devastating cyclone, in which an estimated 300, 000 people died. Many historians attribute the West Pakistan-based government’s slow and generally inadequate response to the liberation war that led to the formation of Bangladesh.
However, former Pakistani foreign secretary Chaudhry claimed that both nations’ public attitudes favor reconciliation.
“People of Pakistan are also as sad about the events of 1971 as the people of Bangladesh. People in both countries now want to move on, according to Chaudhry, and I believe this pain is common.
Hossain of Dhaka University asserted that despite the strong support from the current political parties for strengthening Bangladesh-Pakistan relations, issues relating to the conflict of 1971 continue to impede further ties.
“It is important to remember that the ouster of Hasina from power has not fundamentally changed the mindsets of the people of Bangladesh about the liberation war and an expectation from Pakistan for healing the past”, Hossain said.
He continued, adding that Dhaka did not want to remain trapped in the past.
The process of diplomacy is dynamic. Both the countries can move forward for cooperation in economic, diplomatic and cultural sectors, while they will continue to maintain the healing process”, he said.
