Diplomatic Correspondent :
Dhaka and Islamabad have reaffirmed commitment to deepen bilateral relations in multifaceted areas including political, economic and cultural cooperation.
The commitment came up when Deputy Prime Minister and also Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met Adviser for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Md. Touhid Hossain, on the sidelines of the International conference on the Two-State Solution in the United Nations in New York on Monday.
According to the Facebook post of the Pakistan High Commission in Bangladesh, “The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties, reaffirmed commitment to deepen political, economic and cultural cooperation, as well as boost connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.”
The High Commission further revealed that both agreed to undertake high-level visits in the near future.
Expressing deep concern over the grave humanitarian crisis and ongoing Israeli aggression, both sides expressed unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and the just cause, and hoped for meaningful outcomes of the conference.
This sideline meeting was the fourth high-level interaction between the two countries since October 2024 following the fall of Sheikh Hasina administration in July uprising last year.
During the Hasina rule, the bilateral relations at diplomatic level between the two countries reached nadir as Bangladesh was more tilted towards India.
Now the bilateral relation between the Dhaka and Delhi has gone into hibernation.
With the renewed momentum in Dhaka-Islamabad ties, both countries are working on various issues including enhanced trade, direct shipping and direct flights.
Apart from this meeting, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi last week visited Dhaka and met a number of high profile government officials and expressed his government’s cooperation in the coming days.
During his meeting with Home Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, they pledged to work hand in hand to combat drug trafficking and terrorism, as part of a broader effort to strengthen bilateral ties in the post-Hasina era.
Their meeting focused on several key issues, including combating drugs and terrorism, cooperation in police training, visa-on-arrival facilities for diplomatic and official passport holders, the Rohingya refugee crisis, prevention of cybercrime, and expanding bilateral trade.
Both sides emphasised the need to utilise mutual experience in addressing common challenges.
When the interim government led by Prof Muhammad Yunus has been calling for reinvigorating the SAARC platform to resolve the emerging crisis among its member countries, India is not showing any interest to revive it.
Against this backdrop, a new platform of cooperation for mutual interests, China has been moving ahead with Bangladesh and Pakistan to form a new platform to garner benefits focusing on development, trade and strategy. All these initiatives are changing the dynamics of this region.
