Pakistan’s growing ties to Bangladesh raise alarm bells in India

Pakistan's intelligence chief visited Bangladesh in January 2025, the first such trip since 1971, signaling a new era of cooperation between the two nations. This diplomatic shift follows the 2024 ousting of Bangladesh's long-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was widely viewed as a stabilizing partner for India. The renewed engagement between Dhaka and Islamabad has raised significant alarm in New Delhi, which fears the development could undermine its "Neighborhood First" policy and complicate its eastern security calculus. Indian analysts are concerned that this growing relationship could mirror Pakistan's deep strategic coordination with other nations, creating a new challenge on India's border.