India-Pakistan rivalry drives South Asia diplomatic reshuffle

NEW DELHI:”Old rivalries between India and Pakistan are driving a shift in regional ties, with New Delhi courting Afghanistan´s Taliban while Islamabad befriends the new leaders of post-revolutionary Bangladesh.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan rivalry shows no sign of abating, with New Delhi denying in January it had launched covert operations to kill anti-Indian militants on Pakistani soil.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have also worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul nearly four years ago.

Islamabad has accused Taliban authorities of failing to rein in militants they say are using Afghan territory to stage attacks that have killed thousands of Pakistani security personnel.

India has moved to exploit the opportunity. “They don´t want the Taliban to give space to any group that is going to ultimately be a bigger threat to India,” he said, adding that the prospect of “annoying Pakistan” was also appealing for New Delhi.

India´s top career diplomat, Vikram Misri, met with Taliban foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai in January. “Despite not officially recognising the Taliban government, India understands the importance of maintaining a foothold in Afghanistan,” the newspaper wrote.

At the same time, old enemies Pakistan and Bangladesh now speak of “friendly” ties. Relations between India and Bangladesh´s new government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to slowly rebuild ties.

The first cargo ship in decades to sail directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh successfully unloaded its containers in the port of Chittagong in November. Bangladesh´s interim leader Muhammad Yunus also met with Pakistan´s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December, saying he had “agreed to strengthen relations”.

Top Bangladeshi army commanders later visited Pakistan, discussing training programmes and praising the “friendly relationship” between the nations.

Dhaka University professor Amena Mohsin told AFP that the sudden closeness reflected one of the oldest dictums in international diplomacy. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” she said.