ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held talks with Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on Sunday, as Islamabad seeks to give fresh momentum to its ties with Dhaka.
According to the Foreign Office, the discussions covered the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including trade and economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, education, people-to-people contacts, and humanitarian issues. Regional and global matters were also on the agenda, notably the revival of SAARC, as well as the Palestine and Rohingya issues.
Dar’s two-day trip marks the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Dhaka in 13 years. His engagements include a meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. The outreach comes as relations between the two countries improve following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after a mass student-led movement.
The two sides have recently expanded government-to-government commerce, while sea trade was launched last year. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also engaged with Yunus in several interactions.
On Sunday, Dar and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal met Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin to explore avenues for enhancing trade and connectivity. Later, both sides signed six agreements, including a visa abolition deal for diplomatic passport holders, MoUs on trade, cultural exchange, academic cooperation, media partnership, and training for diplomats.
Coinciding with the visit, Islamabad unveiled the “Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor,” which will offer 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students over the next five years, with 25% allocated to medicine. Training for 100 Bangladeshi civil servants is also planned, alongside an expansion of scholarships under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Program.
Dar also met Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Emir Shafiqur Rahman, with both leaders pledging to strengthen bilateral ties further.
