Diplomatic Correspondent :
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, arrived in Dhaka on Saturday in a significant step to strengthen Bangladesh-Pakistan relations.
This marks the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh in approximately 13 years.
Dar was received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Asad Alam Siam, at around 2pm, following his arrival on a special Pakistan Air Force flight.
Also present were Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal Khan, and senior officials from both sides.
During his two-day visit (23-24 August), Dar is scheduled to hold a series of high-level meetings with Bangladeshi leaders, including Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, and Commerce Adviser SK Bashir Uddin.
Bilateral talks between Dar and Md Touhid Hossain are expected at the state guest house Padma on Sunday. Discussions will cover the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Following the meetings, both countries are set to sign several agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance cooperation in trade, travel, media, culture, and training.
Among these are the abolition of visa requirements for government and diplomatic passport holders, the establishment of a Joint Working Group on trade, cultural exchanges, collaboration between foreign service academies, cooperation between national news agencies, and a partnership between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and Pakistan’s Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
The visiting Commerce Minister of Pakistan, Jam Kamal Khan, who arrived in Dhaka on 21 August, will also join the bilateral talks. Later on Saturday evening, Dar and Jam Kamal Khan are expected to pay a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Professor Yunus.
In addition to official meetings, Dar met with political leaders, including a six-member delegation from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and Nayeb-e-Amir of Jammat-e-Islami, Syeed Abdullah Muhammad Taher.
BNP sources confirmed that Dar is also scheduled to visit BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence on Sunday to inquire about her health.
Dar’s visit had initially been scheduled for 27-28 April but was postponed due to tensions following the Pahalgam tourist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The current visit seeks to explore new avenues of cooperation following the formation of Bangladesh’s interim government under Chief Adviser Professor Yunus.
Prior to Dar’s arrival, foreign secretary-level meetings were held, including a visit to Dhaka by Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Amna Baloch, in April.
Despite unresolved issues between the two countries, the interim government has expressed a commitment to normalising relations, focusing on mutual benefits in trade, investment, and people-to-people ties.
Chief Adviser Professor Yunus has also emphasised overcoming historical obstacles to strengthen bilateral ties, including discussions with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a December meeting in Egypt.
The two sides agreed to explore enhanced cooperation in trade and business.
Key agreements preceding the visit include visa-free entry for diplomatic and official passport holders, revitalisation of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC), and the establishment of a new Trade and Investment Commission.
The last JEC meeting took place in 2005, and Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is scheduled to visit Dhaka later this year to attend the next session, with Bangladesh’s side led by Economic Affairs Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.
Following the change in government, direct cargo shipping has resumed between Karachi and Chattogram, and approvals are underway for Pakistani carriers Fly Jinnah and Air Sial to launch direct flights to Bangladesh.
Dar’s visit is seen as a milestone in rekindling bilateral engagement and opening new avenues of cooperation in trade, commerce, and cultural exchange between the two countries.
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