Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday met with Bangladesh’s commerce and foreign advisers during his historic visit to Dhaka as the two countries eye to intensify cooperation by building on the reset in ties.
Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh saw Sheikh Hasina’s government toppled in August of last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement.
The Foreign Office has termed Dar’s two-day visit — the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh in 13 years — a “significant milestone” in the two countries’ relations.
Today, Dar and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan had a breakfast meeting with Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin, who was accompanied by various finance and trade officials, the Foreign Office (FO) said on X.
“The two sides discussed ways to promote economic and commercial cooperation, with a special focus on enhancing trade and promoting connectivity,” the post said.
Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Ahsan H. Mansur, National Board of Revenue Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan and Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission Chairman Moinul Khan joined the meeting as well.
Other officials attending the gathering were textile ministry secretary Md Abdur Rauf, tourism ministry secretary Nasreen Jahan, Ministry of Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh Chairman Brigadier Gen Mohammad Faisal Azad and High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan, according to the FO.
Dar then held wide-ranging talks with Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, where both sides reviewed the “entire gamut of bilateral relations”.
Matters discussed included “high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges, cooperation on education and capacity building, and humanitarian issues”.
Regional and international issues, including rejuvenation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) and resolution of Palestine and the Rohingya issues, were also discussed.
“The talks took place in a constructive atmosphere, reflecting the existing goodwill and cordiality between [the] two countries. Both sides agreed to work for further strengthening of bilateral relations,” the FO noted.
The foreign adviser also hosted a lunch in Dar’s honour.
According to a press release by the FO, Dar will also meet Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus later today.
The visit is expected to see the signing of four to five memorandums of understanding to strengthen bilateral ties in the fields of trade, culture, media, training, and travel, a senior official of Bangladesh’s foreign ministry told Bangladeshi news outlet BSS.
Last night, Dar and Kamal attended a reception hosted by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider.
In his remarks at the reception, the foreign minister underscored that the people of Pakistan had fraternal sentiments towards the people of Bangladesh, the FO said on X.
“He noted that the relations between the two countries were anchored in centuries-old shared traditions, Islamic heritage, social norms and literary expressions.”
Wishing the people of Bangladesh a harmonious and prosperous future, Dar expressed Pakistan’s “strong desire to forge a cooperative and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh”.
The deputy PM interacted with personalities from “different walks of life, including advisers of the Bangladeshi government, bureaucrats, leadership of political parties, vice chancellors, members of intelligentsia and think tanks, sportsmen, artists, journalists, retired generals, and others”, the FO added.
Beginning his two-day visit yesterday, Dar met with the delegations of Bangladesh’s three political parties — National Citizens Party (NCP), Jamaat-i-Islami and Bangladesh Nationalist Party.