Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar departed for Bangladesh on Saturday, marking the first official visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Dhaka in 13 years. The Foreign Office described the visit as a “significant milestone in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations.”
During his time in Dhaka from August 23 to August 24, DPM Dar will hold important meetings with Bangladeshi leaders. At the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, he is scheduled to meet with the country’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, and the Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Touhid Hossain. The Foreign Office stated that a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues will be discussed during these meetings.
This visit, the most senior by a Pakistani official to Dhaka since 2012, comes amidst warming ties between Islamabad and Dhaka. This warming has been noted since the ouster of former Prime Minister Hasina, who fled to India following a mass student-led uprising. Since then, Pakistan and Bangladesh have resumed sea trade and expanded government-to-government commerce. In recent months, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also had several interactions with Bangladesh’s Yunus.
The foreign minister’s visit follows recent high-level engagements. On Thursday, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister, Jam Kamal Khan, was in Dhaka, where he agreed to establish joint commissions to boost trade and investment. A day earlier, top military commanders from both nations also met in Pakistan. Last month, a major diplomatic breakthrough was achieved when both countries agreed in principle to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports, an agreement made during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Bangladesh’s Home Minister, Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
In April, both Pakistan and Bangladesh welcomed the launch of direct shipping between Karachi and Chittagong and emphasized the need to resume direct air links. This development occurred during the 6th round of Foreign Secretary Level Consultations (FSLC) in Dhaka, which took place after a 15-year hiatus. The consultations, led by Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch and Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin, reflected a shared resolve to revitalize bilateral engagement.
