Dhaka-Islamabad to hold JEC meeting on Oct 27

Diplomatic Correspondent :

After a 20-year gap, Bangladesh and Pakistan will hold the 9th Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting in Dhaka on October 27.
The talks will focus on strengthening basic economic cooperation, especially in trade, investment, agriculture, and financial services.

Finance Adviser Saleh Uddin Ahmed will lead Dhaka’s side, while Pakistan’s Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema will head the Pakistani delegation, Foreign Ministry and Pakistan High Commission to Bangladesh sources said.

The meeting comes as the two countries slowly revive diplomatic and economic ties after years of strained relations that began in 2009.

Relations began to thaw following the fall of the Awami League government last year. As part of renewed engagement, Bangladesh’s Trade Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin is scheduled to visit Islamabad on October 28 for separate bilateral trade discussions. Despite existing trade between the two countries, Pakistan enjoys a large trade surplus. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, Bangladesh imported goods worth $787 million from Pakistan, while exports to Pakistan were only $80 million.
Dhaka plans to push Islamabad for greater duty- and quota-free access for Bangladeshi products such as tea, jute goods, pharmaceuticals, garments, and electronics to reduce this trade imbalance.
Cheema is also expected to pay courtesy calls on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain during his visit.
The JEC was last held in September 2005 in Dhaka. Since political changes in Bangladesh last year, four Pakistani ministers have visited Dhaka, signaling a gradual normalization of relations.