Pakistan FM due in April

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Bangladesh in April as part of  efforts to boost bilateral ties following the ouster of the Awami League government last year.

The diplomatic relationship between the two countries worsened during the 15 years of the AL government.

For instance, the last time a Pakistani foreign minister visited Bangladesh was in 2012, when Hina Rabbani Khar came for a 12-hour visit.  In 2022, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, then foreign minister of Pakistan, attended the D-8 ministerial conference virtually.

After the political changeover in August last year, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke on the phone and met twice -- once in New York and again in Egypt -- as part of the efforts to thaw the frozen relationship between the two countries.

Now, the two countries are also planning to resume formal bilateral meetings: foreign secretary-level consultations, which were last held in 2010, and the joint economic commission, which was held for the last time in 2005.

The issues were discussed when Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, additional secretary (Asia Pacific) at Pakistan's foreign ministry, called on Md Jashim Uddin, Bangladesh's foreign secretary, at the ministry of foreign affairs yesterday.

Read more

Settle issues of 1971 to take forward ties

"Both sides discussed the importance of holding the meetings," said a foreign ministry statement.

The two sides discussed the various aspects of bilateral relations as part of the preparation for the Pakistani foreign minister's visit. They discussed exploring avenues for cultural cooperation, including music, cinema, drama, youth exchanges and people-to-people contacts.

Siddiqui also handed Jashim Uddin a letter from Dar addressing Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.

Jashim Uddin and Siddiqui expressed satisfaction over the recent visits of several trade delegations from Pakistan to Bangladesh, emphasising the importance of visits by the product-specific trade delegations from Bangladesh to Pakistan.

Cooperation in the sectors of tourism, people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges, the issue of forcibly displaced Rohingyas and international forums were also discussed.

They also highlighted the importance of strengthened regional and multilateral cooperation through SAARC, OIC and D-8 during the meeting, which was also attended by Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof.

Bangladeshi visas for Pakistani nationals have been eased, while the two countries are planning to resume direct shipping and flights.

In a separate statement, the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said both sides reviewed the current state of Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, which are based on "mutual respect and shared values".

They expressed satisfaction over the "positive trajectory of ties" and agreed to remain engaged in further enhancing cooperation.

Siddiqui also held meetings with Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Cultural Affairs Secretary Ataur Rahman and Home Secretary Nasimul Ghani.