How Pakistan is winning back Bangladesh

In recent months, Bangladesh has taken symbolic, substantive steps that would have been unthinkable not long ago

Just days before the start of the T20 World Cup, a brief statement on the Pakistan government's official X handle sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. Pakistan, it said, would participate in the tournament but would not take the field against India on February 15, a high-voltage clash billed as the marquee event of the World Cup.

The announcement came amid swirling speculation that Pakistan might pull out of the tournament altogether, citing the increasing politicisation of the ICC and its selective application of rules. While the statement itself was careful not to spell out the reasons behind the decision, PM Shehbaz Sharif later clarified the intent. Pakistan's move was meant to express solidarity with Bangladesh, which had been controversially expelled from the World Cup after it had refused to play its matches in India due to "legitimate security concerns".

The controversy began quietly but escalated rapidly. One of the IPL franchises, reportedly at the behest of the BCCI, was asked to remove Bangladesh's star pacer Mustafizur Rahman from its squad. The move triggered outrage in Dhaka, where the government stepped in and demanded that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be shifted to a neutral venue. What followed was a prolonged back-and-forth between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the ICC, exposing the fault lines within global cricket governance.

Eventually, the matter landed before the ICC's board of directors. In a lopsided 14-2 vote, Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland. Pakistan openly backed Bangladesh's position and, after Dhaka's removal, publicly called out the "ICC's double standards". Islamabad pointed to India's refusal to play in Pakistan during the Champions Trophy, a move that drew no punitive action. Instead, the ICC bent over backwards, relocating India's matches to Dubai and even shifting the final, originally scheduled for Pakistan, out of the country.

While much of the immediate focus has been on the cricketing fallout, Pakistan's decision carries a far deeper geostrategic subtext. Ever since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government, anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has been steadily rising. At the same time, relations between Islamabad and Dhaka, frozen for decades under the shadow of 1971, have undergone a remarkable thaw.

In recent months, Bangladesh has taken a series of symbolic and substantive steps that would have been unthinkable not long ago. Trade delegations have exchanged visits, military-to-military contacts have quietly resumed, and there has been renewed discussion about historical grievances being addressed with a more balanced narrative. Public discourse in Bangladesh, particularly among the youth, has grown increasingly critical of India's perceived political and economic overreach.

Against this backdrop, Pakistan's stand at the World Cup was more than a cricketing protest; it was a calculated political signal. By backing Bangladesh at a moment of vulnerability, Islamabad positioned itself as a principled ally willing to challenge an entrenched power structure dominated by India. Some analysts argue that, with one stroke, Pakistan has undone decades of Indian investment – political, economic and cultural – in Bangladesh.

This is not to suggest that Pakistan has suddenly replaced India's influence in Dhaka. Bangladesh's strategic geography, economic ties and historical baggage ensure that New Delhi will remain a major player. But Pakistan has undeniably created space for itself, a foothold that seemed implausible just a few years ago when relations were limited to perfunctory diplomatic exchanges.

There are still days to go before February 15 and much could change before then. Quiet diplomacy may yet produce a face-saving compromise or pressure from broadcasters and sponsors could force a rethink. But, Pakistan has already made its point. Despite its economic challenges and internal troubles, it has demonstrated a willingness to confront its mighty neighbour on a global stage and, in the process, has reopened doors in Bangladesh that many believed were permanently shut.