Pakistan And Bangladesh Discuss Regional Cooperation, Resolve To Build Closer Ties

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Bernama) — Pakistan and Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to closer regional cooperation and stronger bilateral relations during Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s landmark visit to Dhaka.

Dar, who was in Bangladesh for a two-day trip, called on the interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Sunday and held wide-ranging talks with Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain as well as meetings with other senior Bangladeshi officials, intellectuals, business leaders and top political figures.

The Pakistani deputy prime minister’s visit holds immense promise to take the Islamabad-Dhaka relationship to a new level. Dar’s visit was also the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Dhaka in 13 years.

“I am confident this visit will add new momentum to Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, with more frequent exchanges and enhanced cooperation across all sectors,” Dar said in a post on social media platform X.

According to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency report, Yunus said Pakistan and Bangladesh have common interests in revitalising the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

“Every time Prime Minister (Shehbaz) Sharif and I meet, we speak about SAARC. Our visions are aligned, and SAARC remains a top priority for both of us,” Yunus told Dar.

“I encourage SAARC, and I see our relationship with Pakistan and other SAARC countries as one of the highest priorities,” Yunus was quoted as saying in the report.

The eight-member regional body has not held a leadership summit since the 2014 meeting in Kathmandu.

In a statement, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said the bilateral meeting took place in a spirit of warmth and goodwill, reflecting the brotherly relations between the two countries and their shared desire to augment engagement and cooperation.

“Bangladesh and Pakistan reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of their peoples,” it said.

The two sides agreed to improve cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, agriculture, education, health, energy, transport and tourism.

Pakistan has announced that it will offer 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students for higher studies in Pakistan over the next five years, with one-fourth of them to be awarded in the field of medicine.

Bangladesh and Pakistan signed an agreement to abolish visa requirements for diplomatic and official passport holders.

They agreed to promote cultural exchange and cooperation between their foreign service academies, news agencies and think-tanks.

A joint working group will be established to promote trade and economic relations.

Direct air services between Bangladesh and Pakistan are expected to be launched soon as Pakistani carrier Fly Jinnah plans to operate services between Dhaka and Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi.

“By October, we hope Fly Jinnah will launch direct flights between our two countries. PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) is also expected to launch direct flights to Dhaka once the airline is privatised,” Dar was quoted as saying in a BSS report.

The Bangladesh-Pakistan discussions also focused on major international issues.

Bangladesh has sought Pakistan’s continued support in the efforts to ensure an early, safe, voluntary and dignified return of the Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Over 1.3 million Rohingyas have sought refuge in Bangladesh, fleeing genocide and persecution in Myanmar.

Bangladesh and Pakistan condemned the ongoing genocidal war and human rights abuses by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians.

— BERNAMA

Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial