Bangladesh, Sept. 30 -- Pakistan has once again given Bangladesh reason to question how much Islamabad can actually be trusted. But behind Pakistan's refusal to clear the route for Russian nuclear fuel lies an even larger question: is Washington steadily tightening its strategic grip over Bangladesh, while Islamabad plays the role expected of it? This question arose, after three developments that are hard to not acknowledge together.

On 7 September 2026, a fire broke out at a facility associated with the Russian-built Rooppur project. The incident damaged an internal server, computers, communication equipment and official documents. The matter did not become public immediately, although authorities later said backup copies existed and a...