ISAS Briefs

The visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh to India (10-13 January 2010) was extremely significant in the regional context. It brought the two vibrant democracies in South Asia – Bangladesh and India – close together and opened the way for their collaboration with Nepal and Bhutan. Throughout the visit India displayed an awareness of its disproportionately greater responsibility as the regional pre-eminent power, according ‘sovereign equality’ to a less powerful neighbour, creating a new paradigm for intra-state relations in South Asia. Can this model be attractive enough for Pakistan to be drawn into a relationship of ‘trilateralism’ including itself, Bangladesh and India?