Pakistan and Bangladesh agree to boost ties

islamic republic of pakistan and east pakistan feature signed 6 cooperation agreements that ar expected to deepen the bilateral engagement between the two South Asian nations.

The agreements, which include visa-free travel for diplomats and government officials, were signed on Sunday during Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar’s visit to Dhaka, the first such high-level trip in more than a decade. 

Trade and diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Dhaka has been nearly absent over the last decade. This is primarily due to trials Bangladesh held related to its 1971 struggle for independence from Pakistan, which has been accused of killing millions during the conflict. Ties were also strained over the perceived pro-India stance of former President, Sheikh Hasina.

The visa-free agreement was formalized after delegation-level discussions between Dar and Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain. Additionally, other agreements were made to enhance cooperation in areas such as trade, diplomatic training, education, the media, strategic studies, and cultural exchange, a report by BDNews24 said. 

Following delegation level talks in Dhaka today, the DPM/FM @MIshaqDar50 and Foreign Adviser of Bangladesh oversaw signing of six instruments between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their list includes Agreement between Pakistan and Bangladesh on Visa Abolition for Diplomatic and… pic.twitter.com/jFzKj00s6G

Other memorandums of understanding included establishing a joint working group on trade, cooperation between foreign service academies and national news agencies, and an institutional partnership between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, according to the report.

During their talks in Dhaka, Dar and Hossain reaffirmed a commitment to strengthening what they called the “multifaceted and historic” relationship between the two countries on the basis of “mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.” At a press conference after the talks, Hossain called Pakistan a “key neighbor in South Asia.”

The Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Adviser also confirmed plans to begin direct flights between the two countries, with two Pakistani airlines getting primary approval to operate them. Carriers from Pakistan would have to use Chinese airspace or fly over Sri Lanka as New Delhi and Islamabad continue to impose a reciprocal ban on each other’s airlines.

Bilateral trade turnover between Pakistan and Bangladesh totals less than $1 billion per year, according to media reports.

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