Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday kicked off a historic visit to Bangladesh.The visit is a significant milestone in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations as a Pakistani Foreign Minister is visiting Bangladesh after a gap of around 13 years.
In Dhaka, he will hold important meetings with Bangladeshi leaders. The Deputy Prime Minister will meet Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus and other senior government functionaries during his two-day stay in Dhaka. He is also scheduled to meet Adviser for Foreign Affairs Touhid Hossain.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, will pay an official visit to Bangladesh on 23-24 August.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister’s visit will be the high-level trip by any Pakistani leader to Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina Wajid as Prime Minister in 2024. Several agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries, focusing on trade and economic cooperation.
According to Bangladeshi Media reports, during the visit the two sides will discuss the signing of half a dozen cooperation instruments. He will hold discussions with the Chief Adviser and leaders of some political parties. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister will also hold a bilateral meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart Touhid Hossain at the State Guesthouse Padma.
The two sides are working on six instruments, including an agreement. Among the instruments under discussion are an agreement allowing visa-free travel for diplomats and government officials, a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint working group between the trade ministries of the two countries besides other MoU’s.
The Pakistani foreign minister is also scheduled to meet leaders of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other political parties. The ties between the two countries soured during the 15-year regime of deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and both countries are trying to warm the relations up.
