Islamabad:
Pakistan and Bangladesh have pledged to strengthen bilateral relations after the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, met with the Foreign Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh, Touhid Hussain, on the sidelines of the International Conference on Bes states solution at the United Nations in New York on Monday.
This marks the fourth high-level interaction between the two countries since October 2024, indicating a renewed impulse in the ties of Pakistan-Bangladesh after years of tension.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two leaders conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their shared commitment to improve political, economic and cultural cooperation.
They also agreed to promote connectivity and exchanges of people to people, with plans to facilitate high -level bilateral visits in the near future.
Both parties expressed a deep concern for the serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing Israeli military aggression against the Palestinians. They underwent their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and emphasized the need for significant results of the current conference on the solution of two states.
The ties between Islamabad and Dhaka have witnessed a remarkable thaw from the dismissal of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year, which had maintained a hard position in Pakistan about historical complaints. The change in the Government in Dhaka has allowed a more pragmatic and vision of the future between the two nations of Muslim majority in southern Asia.
Last week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Dhaka, where he held conversations with his Bangladesh counterpart, Lieutenant Gen (R) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. The two parties reached a historical agreement to grant the free admission of visa to the headlines of diplomatic and official passports, a movement widely seen as a symbol of growing mutual trust and one step to facilitate travel restrictions for future commercial and official exchanges.
With the change of regional dynamics, particularly in the light of the growing influence of China and the decline of traditional regional groupings such as SAARC, Pakistan and Bangladesh seem to be recalibrating their foreign policy strategies.
Both countries are now exploring problems based on problems focused on development, trade and strategic autonomy, going beyond historical luggage.
Recent commitments also reflect the broader diplomatic impulse of Pakistan to reconnect with the residents of southern Asia, strengthen the solidarity of the Muslim world and project a more constructive role in regional diplomacy.
Since the expulsion of the Government of Sheikh Hasina, the Provisional Administration of Bangladesh has eliminated restrictions on Pakistani diplomats and imports, giving new boost to bilateral ties.
