Pakistan, Bangladesh pledge stronger ties during Dar's Dhaka visit

Pakistan and Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of their peoples, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh said in a statement on Sunday.

The understanding was reached during a meeting between Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain.

According to the statement, both sides underscored the importance of regular diplomatic and sectoral engagements to advance cooperation across a range of areas.

In the afternoon, Dar called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and conveyed the warm greetings of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, read the statement.

Dar is currently on a two-day official visit to Bangladesh from August 23 to 24, at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart.

A spokesperson of Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the bilateral meeting took place in a spirit of warmth and goodwill, reflecting the brotherly relations between the two countries and their shared desire to augment engagement and cooperation.

The Bangladeshi foreign affairs adviser emphasised the importance of deepening collaborative bilateral relations founded on mutual respect, understanding, and shared interests.

During the meeting, both sides engaged in a candid and constructive discussion on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest and affirmed their mutual commitment to enhancing cooperation in all potential areas including trade, investment, agriculture, education, health, energy, connectivity, people-to-people contact, culture, tourism and disaster management.

The Bangladeshi side underscored the importance of unlocking the untapped potential across all sectors.

Both sides also recognised the importance of regular diplomatic and sectoral engagements in this regard, read the statement.

Hossain underscored the importance of enhancing economic and commercial engagement to fully leverage each other's complementarities.

He emphasised the important role of the private sectors of both countries in this regard.

The two sides expressed satisfaction over the significant progress made in simplifying visa processes, improving maritime connectivity and resuming air connectivity.

DPM Dar informed that Pakistan was in the process of launching the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, under which 500 scholarships would be awarded to Bangladeshi students for higher studies in Pakistan over the next five years.

One-quarter of these scholarships will be awarded in the field of medicine, he added.

The deputy premier has also conveyed Islamabad's readiness to provide advanced medical treatment, including limb replacement for 40 individuals, including students injured during the July uprising in Bangladesh.

Pakistan has offered to train the hockey team from Bangladesh.

They also expressed hope that stronger bilateral relations would contribute positively to peace, stability, and prosperity in South Asia and beyond. They exchanged views on regional and international matters of mutual interest and concern.

Both sides also strongly condemned the ongoing genocidal atrocities, grave human rights violations and starvation campaign committed by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, and called upon the international community to act urgently to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, read the statement.

They called for holding Israel accountable for its war crimes.

Both sides stressed the establishment of a viable sovereign Palestinian state based on its 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The two sides reiterated the importance of strengthening cooperation in Saarc, OIC, the United Nations, and other multilateral forums to promote the shared objectives for peace and development.

During the meeting, DPM Dar extended an invitation to the Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Adviser Hossain to visit Islamabad.

The bilateral meeting was followed by a signing ceremony in the presence of high-ups from both sides.