Pakistan’s second-highest ranking Army officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M), arrived in Dhaka leading a six-member military delegation to strengthen the growing defence cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan. His arrival came a week after a three-member team of Indian Military Intelligence officers quietly left Dhaka following a visit to several border regions.
General Mirza, widely regarded as Pakistan’s second most important military figure after Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, landed at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport shortly after 11:30 pm aboard Emirates Airlines flight EK-584. His visit was preceded by the arrival in Dhaka of two senior Pakistani officers — Lieutenant General Tabassum Habib, Director General of the Joint Staff Headquarters, and a Major General serving as General Officer Commanding of the 15th Infantry Division based in Sialkot — who came ahead of the CJCSC’s delegation.
Relations between the defence forces of Bangladesh and Pakistan have entered a new phase since the interim government led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus assumed office in August 2024. Over the past ten months, there has been a notable increase in senior-level military visits between Dhaka and Islamabad, reflecting a strategic realignment in South Asia’s defence diplomacy following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. Since then, India is perceived to have lost strategic ground as Bangladesh’s armed forces opened new lines of cooperation with key defence-producing countries.
Earlier in May this year, three brigadiers from the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps visited Bangladesh and toured the headquarters of the 10th Infantry Division at Ramu, near Cox’s Bazar. The Armed Forces Division (AFD), led by Principal Staff Officer Lieutenant General S M Kamrul Hassan, has been instrumental in facilitating these renewed exchanges. General Hassan was the first to lead a delegation of Bangladesh Army officers to Pakistan on 11 January 2025, five months after Professor Yunus assumed charge as head of the interim administration on 8 August 2024.
As part of his ongoing engagements, General Mirza called on Bangladesh’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, BBP, OSP, GUP, NSWC, psc, at the Air Headquarters in Dhaka. Both sides exchanged views on areas of mutual interest, emphasising enhanced military-to-military cooperation, joint training, and technological collaboration. Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan underscored Bangladesh’s continuing modernisation drive and its commitment to deeper engagement with friendly militaries, while General Mirza praised the professionalism and discipline of the Bangladesh Armed Forces and reaffirmed Pakistan’s intention to advance institutional cooperation across multiple sectors.
The Pakistan Armed Forces delegation also visited the Naval Headquarters, where General Mirza and his team paid a courtesy call on Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy. During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to strengthen the existing friendship between the two countries’ armed forces, with particular focus on expanding professional cooperation between their respective navies. The discussions reflected mutual goodwill and a shared intent to enhance maritime collaboration and training opportunities in the future.
On Saturday evening, General Mirza met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna. Their discussions spanned trade, connectivity, investment, and defence cooperation. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the current trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their desire to strengthen engagement through practical collaboration. General Mirza highlighted Pakistan’s intention to expand trade and connectivity with Bangladesh, noting that a two-way maritime route between Karachi and Chittagong is already operational, while a Dhaka–Karachi air link is expected to open soon. “Our two countries will support each other,” he said, acknowledging the long-standing historical and cultural bonds between the two nations.
Chief Adviser Professor Yunus emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability amid ongoing regional and global uncertainty. He warned against the proliferation of misinformation by non-state actors, stating, “Fake news and disinformation have flooded social media. It is being used to sow chaos. There must be a concerted global effort to combat this menace.” National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman, Senior Secretary and SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider were present during the meeting.
Earlier today, General Mirza also met Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, where both sides discussed expanding cooperation in training, joint exercises, and United Nations peacekeeping operations. The meeting reaffirmed mutual satisfaction with the pace of bilateral military relations and the shared intent to strengthen professional exchanges further.
Following the conclusion of his engagements, General Mirza and his delegation departed Dhaka later in the day for Dubai. His five-day official visit is expected to reinforce the rapidly expanding partnership between the armed forces of Bangladesh and Pakistan — a development that underscores Dhaka’s evolving defence diplomacy and growing strategic diversification in its external relations.
