How do Bangladeshi people want their future relations with Pakistan?

[halupridol]

my post deleted,,,hmm
so my prediction was correct

 

[Armstrong]

why dhoti?? btw some Punjabis wear lungi too right?

Lungi....no Lungi !

Some Punjabis from the villages wear Dhotis or some of its other renditions (I've forgotten what they're called) but most of us wear Shalwar Kameez !

 

[Bilal9]

Lungi....no Lungi !

Some Punjabis from the villages wear Dhotis or some of its other renditions (I've forgotten what they're called) but most of us wear Shalwar Kameez !

So what do you call the wraparound bottom garment that's part of the Bhangra dance outfit? Chadar? It's not Punjabi dress - my bad. It's actually Punjabi Sikh dress.

 

[Armstrong]

Come now - why so bashful about Punjabis wearing Lungis? Don't be re-writing history now. So what do you call the wraparound bottom garment that's part of the Bhangra dance outfit? Chadar?

Dhoti or Tohtiii in Punjabi !

And we don't wear that Bhangra dance outfit - Our Dhoti is a bit different & it even has a different name that escapes me right now !

 

[Bilal9]

Oh okay - got it. Thanks.

 

[kalu_miah]

Salam.

With BD and Pakistan squarely fitting in the String of Pearls project with China, which will transform their relations with the PRC and would alter the S.Asian balance of power in China's favour, how do Bangladeshi people want their future relations with Pakistan?

Its clear that a China lead block in South Asia is in the works. All Muslim states in S.Asia, namely Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh are on the same page to support the Chinese project and to have China as the undisputed regional power with 3 Muslim allies in the region.

Such a block would also require strategic cooperation to take place between Pakistan and Bangladesh as two major power brokers.

In the light of the above geopolitical shift, how would the BD citizenry want their relations with Pakistan to look like?

@Loki @kalu_miah @snowqueen tag others too pls.

Wassalam. Thanks for asking. India is a threat for both Pakistan and Bangladesh and to balance that threat, China was a good candidate as they were strategic rivals with India in the past. But in the last 20 years, China's rise was much faster and China is now competing with the US for global pre-eminent super power status. India is no longer their rival. Instead India is someone to humor so they do not become a strategic tool for the US and remain neutral. So that is the current situation. BRICS and infrastructure investment in India and other such recent bonhomie between China and India are indicative of this new reality. So the old model may not last in the coming decades for South Asian geopolitics.

In the past I have looked at several possibilities, one is a Sino-Muslim alliance as a result of close partnership between China and the Muslim world. The other one was about a Japan and South Korea led Asian NATO that will include ASEAN and Bangladesh.

For the Sino-Muslim alliance, I am pretty much convinced that it does not have much of a future. The reason is lack of respect and understanding between China and the Muslim world. Not only do the two worlds (Sinic and Muslim) not have much in common in terms of ethnicity, but also religious belief systems are also completely different, which gives us diametrically opposing world views. Chinese are highly materialistic, while Muslims live to prepare themselves for an eternal after-life, a true Muslim does not care too much about earthly sensual pleasure or about accumulating material wealth. Although true Muslims are rare these days, but the ideal to strive towards exists in the collective consciousness of the Muslim world.

As for the Asian NATO, I think it may have some future, but I am convinced that Bangladesh has no place in it. Both Japan and South Korea seek strong economic and military relations with ASEAN nations. Japan and South Korea have strong relations with Bangladesh and Pakistan as well. But ASEAN nations specially those who are not Muslim will not allow a high population Muslim country like Bangladesh in their group, as it will make ASEAN majority Muslim and also there is an undercurrent of racial xenophobia about South Asian Bangladeshi's who are not really "Asian" like South East Asians.

Ever since I came to this forum, while I have engaged in many petty political debates and fights due to current events and circumstances, my main focus has always been to determine a future destiny for Bangladesh as a nation and people. So I have been looking for people and nations we can team up with. If you may recall I posted this thread to gauge people's reaction about this little known or thought about fact:
Global Muslim population will exceed 3 billion out of 10 billion by 2100 AD

That Muslim population of the world will reach at least 3.3 billion and at most 4 billion, out of a world population of 10 billion was kind of shocking discovery for me. I think there is great potential in this fact.

I am no promoter of Ummah, Shariah or Khilafah, I consider attachments to these ideas and too much obsession with them as nostalgia for a by gone era. But my interest with increased interaction and hence fostering more unity among such a diverse population is quite simple, pooling resources and gaining geopolitical power to ensure future well being, economic and social development and security. Around 15-20% of global Muslim population live as minorities in other countries, but most of them however, around 80-85%, live in Muslim majority countries or countries with significant % of Muslim population, almost all of whom are today members of OIC.

It is my belief that Muslim people of the future, whether they are Sunni, Shia or even fringe belief systems that are not part of the main stream will band together for mutual security, because there is strength in numbers. A large number of Muslims in the future may not be strong practitioners of the rituals and may become atheists or cultural Muslims as Christians in the West, but they will support the idea of Islamic common market and military alliance for socio-economic development and to enhance their national security. In the era of huge nation states such as China, India and powerful international alliances such as EU and NATO and partners, it will be impossible for others to compete in a level playing without forming their own large system entity, such as Latin American Union, ASEAN + 2 (Japan + Korean peninsula) etc.

In order for Muslim nations to unite in an economic alliance initially, I would propose to follow Turkey as the leader for Bangladesh, Pakistan and Central Asian stans. Once there is an FTA arrangement going, we should invite Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Arab League and African Muslim countries. EU Muslim majority countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo can become special partners.

Another idea is to enhance the existing D-8 group initiated by Erbakan of Turkey:
Developing 8 Countries - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The idea is for us Muslims to develop a large common market to buy and sell goods and weapons systems to gain economies of scale to attract technology transfer from the West, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia. This technology should be shared among Muslim countries then to develop our own indigenous technology which will be given first preference for adoption by members of this alliance.

What will be the stance of this alliance with overlapping other regional union initiatives such as:

1. Eurasian Economic Union led by Russia
2. ASEAN + 2 (Japan and South Korea)
3. African Union

I think the Muslim alliance can use the above initiatives to enhance relationship and influence with countries such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, 7 non-Muslim member countries of ASEAN and non-Muslim African countries.

The multi polar world of tomorrow will be dominated by the West, China other emerging nations and groups of nations. I think us Muslim nations need to have a pole of our own, which has the potential to become the largest and most dominant pole on earth, as it used to be for more than a thousand years, since the birth of our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). We have all that is necessary to make it happen again, and I am confident that enough of us will eventually come to the realization that increasing relations and mutual dependence is the solution to the problem of weakness and disunity in Muslim world.

 

[Al-zakir]

Relation with Pakistan always in deep freeze during Hasina/Awami league regime. We have seen worst in past. As long as Hasina in power nothing will happen. It's not even worth trying.

Pakistan enjoy good relation with Bd during BNP regime but BNP is a coward party. It did not do enough to bring Pakistan-Bangladesh closer.

 

[Mattrixx]

It will be a great benefit for us to have a better relation with Pakistan. Both the nation should come forward leaving their old memories. It is a great market for pakistan to import.
To make this happen. Pakistan can change their diplomatic strategy. Official apology for 1971. Stop supporting jamaat.
Take stranded pakistanis from bangladesh.

 

[OrionHunter]

Salam.

With BD and Pakistan squarely fitting in the String of Pearls project with China, which will transform their relations with the PRC and would alter the S.Asian balance of power in China's favour, how do Bangladeshi people want their future relations with Pakistan?

Its clear that a China lead block in South Asia is in the works. All Muslim states in S.Asia, namely Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh are on the same page to support the Chinese project and to have China as the undisputed regional power with 3 Muslim allies in the region.

Such a block would also require strategic cooperation to take place between Pakistan and Bangladesh as two major power brokers.

In the light of the above geopolitical shift, how would the BD citizenry want their relations with Pakistan to look like?

You've started out with a wrong premise. There is no 'String of Pearls' to begin with. It's a fallacy created by some dumb idiot named Christopher Pehrson, a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force in 2004.

Popular as it might be, the so called 'string of pearls theory' is more a matter of speculation than hard reality. For one, commercial ports which these basically are, do not necessarily lead to naval bases. China will settle for access to 'places', not 'bases' in the Indian Ocean. Beijing is negotiating agreements that grant Chinese vessels the right to call at ports like Gwadar, Hambantota, and Chittagong to rest, refuel, and perhaps refit. China entertains little desire for a wholly-owned base network.

The so called 'string of pearls' also masks the reality that China has yet to achieve the capability to turn these ports into naval bases.


The core interest of China is the South China Sea which it needs to dominate not only against naval forces of the littoral states but the US and Australian Navies too. This game of domination in the South China Sea could spill over well into the next decade and beyond.

The PLAN would therefore need to concentrate its meager naval resources here and not fritter it away by sending them to dominate the Indian Ocean. It just does not have the capability for sea control over two different geographies more so when there are already two powerful American fleets operating in the Indian Ocean area.

 

[khair_ctg]

It will be a great benefit for us to have a better relation with Pakistan. Both the nation should come forward leaving their old memories. It is a great market for pakistan to import.
To make this happen. Pakistan can change their diplomatic strategy. Official apology for 1971. Stop supporting jamaat.
Take stranded pakistanis from bangladesh.

India should take the stranded Indians who are BAL people. India should apologize for meddling in internal affair of East Pakistan and eventually invading BD landmass, that caused a lot of suffering and an sovereign landmass to lose its right to self determination

 

[livingdead]

It will be a great benefit for us to have a better relation with Pakistan. Both the nation should come forward leaving their old memories. It is a great market for pakistan to import.
To make this happen. Pakistan can change their diplomatic strategy. Official apology for 1971. Stop supporting jamaat.
Take stranded pakistanis from bangladesh.

who are these stranded pakistanis.. did you mean biharis?

 

[khair_ctg]

Lungi....no Lungi !

Some Punjabis from the villages wear Dhotis or some of its other renditions (I've forgotten what they're called) but most of us wear Shalwar Kameez !

Armstrong bhai. of course you guys were salwars a lot. but i have seen Punjabis (of Pakistan) wear something that IS a lungi. maybe it is more among rural folks, or among people with background in North India? wikipedia says Punjabis call it tehmat

 

[Bilal9]

You've started out with a wrong premise. There is no 'String of Pearls' to begin with. It's a fallacy created by some dumb idiot named Christopher Pehrson, a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force in 2004.

Popular as it might be, the so called 'string of pearls theory' is more a matter of speculation than hard reality. For one, commercial ports which these basically are, do not necessarily lead to naval bases. China will settle for access to 'places', not 'bases' in the Indian Ocean. Beijing is negotiating agreements that grant Chinese vessels the right to call at ports like Gwadar, Hambantota, and Chittagong to rest, refuel, and perhaps refit. China entertains little desire for a wholly-owned base network.

There were well-confirmed reports by the US Navy that long-term plans were there to put Chinese submarine bases on these locations. How can you be so sure that China does not plan to do this sooner or later? If India is turning into a blue water Navy then the Chinese may at least plan a satellite littoral Navy to counter or contain Indian Naval advances. Remember how they reacted when an Indian Navy vessel was passing through the South China Sea near Vietnam?

The so called 'string of pearls' also masks the reality that China has yet to achieve the capability to turn these ports into naval bases.

Only a question of time and very soon I'd say. Their naval build-up is much faster and more comprehensive than the Indian Navy (excepting Nuclear Subs and Aircraft Carriers India is building).

The core interest of China is the South China Sea which it needs to dominate not only against naval forces of the littoral states but the US and Australian Navies too. This game of domination in the South China Sea could spill over well into the next decade and beyond.

It seems to me that littoral SCS involvement is only part of the (eventual) Chinese plan. Just because they haven't yet done it, doesn't mean they won't do it in the future. Meaning extend operations with Carrier groups in the BOB, African East Coast and Arabian Sea areas. This is not mere speculation - one can clearly see that they'd be interested to protect their energy pipelines and/or resource pipelines from Africa.

The PLAN would therefore need to concentrate its meager naval resources here and not fritter it away by sending them to dominate the Indian Ocean. It just does not have the capability for sea control over two different geographies more so when there are already two powerful American fleets operating in the Indian Ocean area.

Eventually - the American fleet(s) may shrink and the Chinese and Indian Navies will move in to fill the power void to establish some sort of status quo.

 

[acetophenol]

@BDforever - May be a Lungi wearing Fish eating Management trainee somewhere in Dhaka but hes still my Brother even if I'm a Dhoti wearing Chicken eating Finance trainee somewhere in Lahore !

Does a engineering trainee from India fit anywhere?

 

[Bilal9]

India should take the stranded Indians who are BAL people. India should apologize for meddling in internal affair of East Pakistan and eventually invading BD landmass, that caused a lot of suffering and an sovereign landmass to lose its right to self determination

Many of the stranded Pakistanis have already adopted Bengali culture and become quite successful in business and the arts. We can't really discriminate against someone's ethnic background if they want to adopt our culture and be a part of our society. It is averse to the Bangladeshi psyche.