ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Bangladesh on Sunday signed a number of agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation in trade, diplomacy, media, education, and cultural exchanges, marking a significant step forward in efforts to reset relations after years of frosty ties, as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar sought to move beyond the baggage of 1971.
Dar, who is on a landmark visit to Dhaka, the first by a Pakistani foreign minister in 13 years, held a series of high-level meetings with Bangladesh’s top leadership and political figures.
The foreign minister held talks with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Policy Advisor Touhid Hossain and separately met former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Ameer.
Moreover Dar also met members of the National Citizen Party (NCP), a student-based political party that played a role in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government in August last year.
The ouster of Awami League government led to the rapprochement between Pakistan and Bangladesh and Dar’s visit reflected the latest push by both sides to improve their ties.
The two countries signed six agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) aimed at enhancing cooperation in trade, diplomacy, media, education, and cultural exchanges.
The agreements signed included an accord abolishing visa requirements for diplomats and government officials, an MoU between the two countries’ foreign service academies, a media cooperation pact between Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), and MoUs between think tanks of both sides. A joint working group on trade and a cultural exchange programme (20252028) was also finalised.
Dar, who met Chief Adviser Yunus, conveyed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s greetings and expressed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen bilateral ties. Both sides discussed trade, economic cooperation, youth exchanges, and regional security. Dar thanked the Bangladeshi government for the “warm hospitality and excellent arrangements” during his stay.
Pakistan also launched a “Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor,” offering 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students over the next five years, including a special allocation in medicine. Training programmes for 100 Bangladeshi civil servants will also be offered. Additionally, the number of scholarships under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme has been raised from five to 25.
He called on BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia at her residence, extending good wishes for her recovery and recalling her visit to Pakistan in 2006. He also visited the residence of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, who is recovering from cardiac surgery, and praised his contributions in politics, education, and social welfare.
The flurry of engagements underscores Islamabad’s push to put ties with Dhaka on a new footing. “Our future is bright and we must work together for the betterment of our peoples.”
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Dar, the Bangladesh Foreign Policy adviser said he raised the unresolved issues between the two countries.
“We have raised unresolved issues such as an apology or expression of regret for 1971, claims over assets, and the matter of stranded Pakistani citizens (with Dar),” Hossain told reporters after talks with Dar. It would be wrong to expect problems of 54 years to be solved in a single day, he added.
Foreign Minister Dar, however, said that the “unresolved issues” of 1971 between Pakistan and Bangladesh had already been settled twice, both in writing and verbally.
When asked by journalists about “unresolved issues” between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Dar replied: “As far as unresolved issues are concerned, this matter was first settled in writing in 1974, and this historic document is available to both countries.”
“Later, General Musharraf came here and addressed this matter in a very open and explicit manner,” he added. He said, “In my view, once this matter has been settled between brothers, Islam also instructs us to keep our hearts clean. Therefore, we should move forward and work together, because our future is bright.”
“Therefore, in line with our Islamic teachings, the Quran, and the Sunnah, we must keep our hearts pure and move forward. We are one family, and we must work together to do the best for the people of both countries.”
Dar added: “My brother Touhid and our whole team will work together to achieve the best possible outcomes. That is the agreement, and that is what we are doing.”
Dar further said that “the future of both countries is very bright” and “we must work together to do the best for the people of both nations.”
Dar, nevertheless, described his engagement in Dhaka as excellent, insisting both sides had complete consensus. “There was no disagreement on any matter, which is a very positive sign,” he stressed. “We are working together to take economic and trade relations between our two countries to new heights,” he said.
