Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his landmark visit to Dhaka during which the latter stressed the need to revitalise regional cooperation through South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).
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.
According to a post on X by the Foreign Office (FO), Dar called on Yunus and apprised him of the developments during his trip. The pair discussed “recent developments in the region and the prospects of regional cooperation”.
“The discussion covered revival of old connections between the two countries, promoting youth linkages, enhancing connectivity, and augmenting trade and economic cooperation,” the FO wrote.
According to a statement issued by Yunus’s office, the Bangladesh chief adviser during the meeting highlighted the importance of revitalising all potential avenues of regional and bilateral cooperation, urging progress in bilateral trade and emphasising the role of people-to-people connections —particularly among youth.
“I encourage Saarc, and I see our relationship with Pakistan and other Saarc countries as one of the highest priorities,” he said.
Later today, Dar called on Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson and ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, according to an FO statement.
The Deputy PM conveyed Pakistan’s well-wishes and lauded Zia’s services as premier, also enquiring about her health. Zia has been in declining health for years, is confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and also suffers from diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver.
“The memories of Begum Zia’s visit to Pakistan in 2006 were also recalled,” the statement read.
Earlier, Pakistan and Bangladesh signed six agreements in various areas of cooperation following delegation-level talks between Dar and Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.
Both leaders oversaw the signing of “six instruments”, FO Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.
These included an agreement on visa abolition for diplomatic and official passport holders, as well as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a Joint Working Group on trade.
Pakistan and Bangladesh had agreed to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports from the other side last month, when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Dhaka.
An MoU was also signed between the Foreign Service academies of both countries, while another MoU was inked between the Associated Press of Pakistan and the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha to further media cooperation.
In the domain of academics, an MoU was signed between the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, while a cultural exchange programme was also agreed upon.
“These agreements will institutionalise and further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in trade and economics, training of diplomats, academic exchanges, media cooperation and cultural exchanges,” the FO statement highlighted.
According to Bangladesh’s The Daily Star, Dar and Hossain first held a brief one-to-one discussion before leading their respective delegations in a formal meeting at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
During their wide-ranging talks, both sides reviewed the “entire gamut of bilateral relations”, the FO said on X.
“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. Hossain also hosted a lunch in Dar’s honour.
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.
Separately, Pakistan launched “Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor”, a project which envisages the grant of 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students for pursuing higher studies in Pakistan during the next five years.
“A quarter of these scholarships will be awarded in the field of medicine. Additionally, training for 100 Bangladeshi civil servants will be arranged during the same period,” the FO said in a statement.
Pakistan will also increase the scholarships allocated to Bangladeshi students under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme from five to 25.
Continuing his series of meetings with Bangladeshi politicians, Dar met Jamaat-i-Islami emir Dr Shafiqur Rahman at his residence.
The deputy premier, on his and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s behalf, conveyed his best wishes for good health to Rahman, who is recovering after a cardiac surgery.
Dar also appreciated Rahman’s “life-long positive contribution in the fields of politics, education and social welfare”, the FO said.
Meeting with commerce adviser, trade officials
In the morning, 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 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.
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 the BNP.
The Daily Star, quoting unnamed foreign ministry officials, said the two sides are also planning to hold the long-stalled Joint Economic Commission meeting in September or October, two decades since its last session. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb may visit Dhaka for the meeting, the report added.
Additional reporting by Nadir Guramani