Exports Up, Deep Defence Co-Operation: How Bangladesh-Pakistan Ties Surged After Yunus Took Charge

Bangladesh–Pakistan relations have undergone a marked recalibration over the past two years, expanding rapidly across economic, defence, diplomatic, cultural and educational spheres after a prolonged period

of stagnation. CNN-News18 has accessed a classified intelligence note that outlines how this shift gained momentum following the appointment of Muhammad Yunus as Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, a transition that, according to top intelligence sources, opened a strategic window that Pakistan was prepared for after years of quiet groundwork.

The note suggests that Rawalpindi moved swiftly once Dhaka’s India-aligned political leadership collapsed, with Pakistan’s intelligence establishment playing a key role in reactivating dormant bilateral channels. CNN-News18 had earlier reported the existence of a dedicated ISI cell in Dhaka, tasked with monitoring and facilitating engagement across sectors.

According to intelligence inputs, cooperation since 2025 has expanded significantly. Economic ties have been a major driver of this reset. Bilateral trade, estimated at around $1.5 billion in 2023 and largely dominated by Pakistan’s exports of cotton yarn, chemicals and machinery, saw sharp growth thereafter. Pakistan’s exports to Bangladesh touched $778.11 million in 2024, reflecting a 27 per cent rise in Bangladesh’s imports from Pakistan during July–September 2024 alone. This momentum continued, with trade rising another 27 per cent between August and December 2024, followed by a further 20 per cent year-on-year increase by December 2025.

A key factor behind this surge was the resumption of direct sea trade. The first Pakistani cargo vessel docked at Chittagong Port in November 2024, months after Sheikh Hasina’s exit. Both sides also revived the long-defunct Joint Economic Commission after two decades, holding its 9th session in Dhaka on October 27, 2025.

Defence cooperation has deepened in parallel. High-level military exchanges included Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza calling on Chief Adviser Yunus in October, Bangladesh’s participation in Pakistan’s AMAN-2025 naval exercise, and advanced talks on defence procurement. These include the possible sale of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to the Bangladesh Air Force and Dhaka’s plan to procure 40,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition from Pakistan — signalling both Islamabad’s arms export ambitions and Bangladesh’s diversification away from traditional suppliers like China and Russia.

Diplomatic engagement has also accelerated. Over a dozen senior-level interactions have taken place since mid-2024, including Foreign Secretary-level talks in April 2025 — the first in 15 years — and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Dhaka in August 2025, his first since 2012. Six agreements were signed during the visit, covering visa exemptions for diplomatic passport holders, trade working groups and humanitarian cooperation. Diplomatic sources note that official visits rose 73 per cent in 2025 to 3,387, up from 1,950 in 2024.

Intelligence sources assess that the breadth and speed of this engagement point to a deliberate strategic reset, rather than routine bilateral normalisation.