Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan are scheduled to visit Dhaka this week.
The commerce minister will arrive on Thursday followed by the foreign minister on Saturday for bilateral talks.
During their visits, discussions with Bangladesh’s interim government will focus on normalizing political and economic relations. Several agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries on the occasion of the foreign minister’s visit.
A senior official at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Relations with Pakistan were somewhat cold during the previous government. Since the interim government took office, multiple meetings have been held between the political leadership of both countries.”
Notably, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus twice, in New York and Egypt. Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baluch visited Dhaka for a Foreign Office consultation, while the Home Minister recently visited as Asian Cricket Council chairman and met with the Adviser on Home and Sports Affairs.
The official added, “After a long break, both countries are now working to strengthen political relations. We are keen to maintain normal relations based on mutual respect and honor.”
Both ministers had previously planned separate visits to Dhaka, but these were postponed due to changing circumstances in Pakistan. In April, the foreign minister’s trip was delayed amid the India-Pakistan conflict, and preliminary talks for the commerce minister’s visit in June were later postponed.
Agreements to be signed
Bangladesh and Pakistan are expected to sign several agreements during the visit, including visa-free travel for diplomatic and official passport holders, cooperation between the two countries’ Foreign Service Academies, and the formation of a Joint Working Group under the ministries of commerce. Other agreements may include the renewal of a cultural exchange MoU and a media cooperation MoU between Bangladesh Press Institute and Pakistan’s APP.
The official said a bilateral meeting between the two Foreign Ministers will be held on Sunday (August 24), followed by an instrument signing ceremony. Ishaq Dar will also hold a courtesy meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in the afternoon.