54 years after Operation Searchlight and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic declaration of the independence of Bangladesh, the country stands at a critical juncture yet again. As in 1971, decisions in Dhaka could alter regional dynamics, especially vis-à-vis India and Pakistan, with whom Bangladesh’s destiny has been closely intertwined.

There is growing bonhomie between Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and Pakistan — a development that has not gone unnoticed in New Delhi, whose relationship with Dhaka faces uncertainties. A much anticipated meeting between Yunus and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand is unlikely to happen. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s relations with Pakistan as well as China are deepening.

Evolving Foreign Policy: Liberation to the July Uprising

While Bangladesh’s relations with Pakistan have warmed since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 last year, ties between the two countries were by and large fraught for decades. Dhaka’s foreign policy stemmed from a troubled and contested history, a lack of ideological consensus, and a sharply divided polity, among other geoeconomic and regional considerations.

The division of Pakistan in 1971, within 24 years of its birth, which led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh, left a deep imprint on Pakistan’s psyche. Pakistan and Bangladesh thus began their bilateral journey on a hostile note; it took Pakistan close to three years to recognize the new state. The animosity persisted for decades, especially during Awami League (AL) rule, with the issue of Pakistani war crimes being a major irritant in bilateral relations.

Many in Bangladesh view liberation from Pakistan as a bedrock of their national identity, while some never reconciled to the sp