ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka on Sunday, reaffirming the two countries’ commitment to expanding trade and deepening cooperation.
According to the Foreign Office, the meeting covered a wide range of issues including the revival of historic ties, regional connectivity, youth linkages, and boosting economic collaboration. Dar conveyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s greetings to Yunus and praised the warm reception extended by the Bangladeshi side.
Dar also met Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain where discussions touched on high-level exchanges, cultural and educational cooperation, humanitarian issues, and joint efforts on regional concerns such as the revival of SAARC, the Rohingya crisis, and the situation in Palestine. The talks were described as constructive and reflective of goodwill between the two nations.
During his two-day visit, the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Dhaka in 13 years, Dar and his counterparts witnessed the signing of six agreements. These included visa abolition for diplomatic and official passport holders, formation of a joint working group on trade, academic and media cooperation, cultural exchanges, and collaboration between think tanks.
Coinciding with the visit, Pakistan launched the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, offering 500 scholarships for Bangladeshi students over the next five years, a quarter of them in medicine, alongside training for 100 civil servants. Scholarships under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Program were also raised from five to 25.
Dar, accompanied by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, met Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin to explore new avenues for trade and connectivity. He also held talks with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh’s Emir Shafiqur Rahman, stressing stronger ties between the two countries.
The visit comes as Pakistan and Bangladesh move closer following last year’s resumption of sea trade and recent government-to-government agreements, marking a new chapter in bilateral relations.
