Public ties key to stronger Pak-Bangladesh relations: BD minister

LAHORE: Bangladesh’s State Minister for Finance and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, Professor Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, has said that strengthening people-to-people linkages is more vital than trade or governance partnerships to transform Bangladesh-Pakistan relations from “good to excellent.”

During his visit to the Pakistan Civil Services Academy (CSA), Lahore, Professor Chowdhury told The News that fostering cooperation in education, technical training and tourism would help the two nations understand one another better and deepen mutual trust. “Public connections build empathy and empathy builds enduring friendship,” he remarked.

He said education remains the cornerstone of national development, noting that exchanges in civil-service training are part of that educational cooperation. “By sharing administrative experiences, both sides can enhance efficiency and ethical governance,” he added.

Responding to a question on reform lessons, the minister said that each country’s reform process must reflect its own realities. “No nation can simply copy another’s blueprint. Russia and China began with similar reforms—one collapsed, the other prospered. The takeaway is clear: reforms must be indigenous.”

Admitting that Bangladesh’s civil service still grapples with accountability and performance, he said, “We face similar hurdles as Pakistan—limited reform impact and institutional inertia. There are exemplary officers, but systemic change remains elusive.”

Addressing probationary officers of the 53rd Common Training Programme, Professor Chowdhury urged Pakistan to liberate itself from IMF dependence by turning its own resources into national strength. Citing South Korea’s rise from poverty in the 1960s, he said Pakistan could do the same through strategic vision and commitment.