Pakistan and Bangladesh signed six agreements in various areas of cooperation on Sunday as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar made a historic visit to Dhaka to build 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.
Following delegation-level talks between Dar and Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain in Dhaka today, both leaders oversaw the signing of “six instruments”, Foreign Office (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.
Dar held wide-ranging talks with the Bangladeshi foreign adviser, with both sides reviewing 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 on X. Hossain also hosted a lunch in Dar’s honour.
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.
According to a press release by the FO, Dar will also meet Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus later today.
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.