Pakistan’s reported push for a Saudi Arabia-style security pact with Bangladesh is being framed in Islamabad as pragmatic defence diplomacy. In reality, it looks more like a familiar strategy of strategic mischief—one that risks destabilising South Asia while offering Bangladesh little beyond symbolism and India fresh cause for concern.

According to diplomatic and security sources, Pakistan and Bangladesh are moving closer to a proposed Mutual Defence Agreement that would expand military cooperation, intelligence exchanges, and training links. Joint mechanisms are said to be working on a draft, with multiple rounds of talks already held between senior officers from the two sides. The agreement, if finalised after Bangladesh’s next general election, would mark the most significant military engagement between Dhaka and Islamabad since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.

Pakistan wants this arrangement to mirror its long-standing defence partnership with Saudi Arabia, under which Pakistani officers train Saudi forces, advise on security matters, and participate in joint exercises. That comparison itself is revealing. Pakistan’s military has historically used such partnerships not merely for defence cooperation but to gain political leverage, strategic depth, and intelligence footholds. Applying the same model to Bangladesh raises immediate red flags.

The timing of Pakistan’s outreach is not accidental. Following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024, Islamabad moved swiftly to court the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration. While previous Bangladeshi governments—particularly under Hasina—kept Pakistan at arm’s length due to historical grievances and security concerns, the current political transition has created an opening. Pakistan has been eager to exploit it.

India has watched this pivot with unease, and for good reason. Pakistan’s record as a “security partner" in South Asia is deeply problematic. Since the late 1980s, India has accused Islamabad of sponsoring or facilitating........

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