Islamabad:
In a significant step towards strengthening bilateral ties, Pakistan and Bangladesh have agreed in principle to allow entry without visas for diplomatic and official passport holders.
The advance was achieved during a high -level meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Bangladesh Interior Minister, Lieutenant General (RETD) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury in Dhaka on Wednesday. Naqvi, who is also head of the Cricket Board of Pakistan (PCB), is in Dhaka to attend the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
On the sidelines, he had conversations with his Bangladesh counterpart as part of the ongoing efforts of the two parties to restore their ties.
Relationships between Pakistan and Bangladesh have seen a positive change since the expulsion of the Sheikh Hasina Wajid government in August 2023.
After the end of the 15 -year -old Awami League government, Pakistan and Bangladesh intensified efforts to restore their bilateral ties.
There has been an increase in bilateral exchanges between the two sides. Naqvi’s visit was the last example of those biggest interactions.
The Foreign Minister Ishaq was also supposed to visit Dhaka at the end of April, but the tensions between Pakistan and India led to the delay on the historical journey.
The decision of the two parties to allow the free admission of visa to those who have diplomatic and official passports is considered a significant step.
During the Hasina government, the Pakistani diplomat had to face an increase in scrutiny and surveillance. Pakistani exports to Dhaka also faced no tarrif barriers. But those restrictions have been raised by the interim government of Bangladesh.
A statement issued here by the Ministry of Interior said that Interior Minister of Bangladesh extended a warm welcome to his Pakistani counterpart, who was presented with an honor guard upon his arrival at the Ministry of Interior. When describing the visit as “of great importance to strengthen bilateral relations,” Chowdhury thanked Minister Naqvi for offering training opportunities for Bangladesh police officers.
During the conversations, both parties agreed to improve cooperation in internal security, police training, counter-narcotics, antihuman traffic and anti-terrorist efforts. Exchange programs between police academies of the two countries were also discussed.
It was decided to establish a joint committee to further boost bilateral cooperation, which will be headed by Pakistan’s federal secretary for the interior, Khurram Agha. In addition, a high -level Bangladesh delegation will soon visit the National Police Academy in Islamabad.
The meeting attended the Minister of State for State Affairs of Bangladesh, Khuda Bakhsh, Secretary of Interior Affairs, Nasim Al-Ghani, the Additional Security Division Shamim Khan, the position of Pakistan of Muhammad Wasif Affairs, the political advisor Kamran DeHingal and other high officials.
