Foreign secretary departs for Dhaka today

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Ms Amna Baloch is leaving for Dhaka today (Wednesday) for an official visit at the invitation of Bangladesh government.

The foreign secretary will be leading a delegation of senior officials. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Muhammad Jashim Uddin will lead the host country’s delegation, and the consultations will be held at Dhaka’s State Guest House Padma. These foreign secretary-level consultations between the two countries are taking place after 15 years. The diplomatic sources told The News here on Tuesday that no specific agenda has been identified as yet but both sides are likely to cover all areas of mutual interest. The sources hinted that the visit would pave the way for the visit of Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar which is being scheduled towards the last week of April.

Bangladesh High Commissioner Iqbal Hussain Khan, who has already gone to Dhaka to facilitate the visit, said that Pakistan sees potential for boosting exports to Bangladesh, especially if their products are price competitive. He added that his country will explore exports to Afghanistan via Pakistan. He said Fly Jinnah has already announced to fly between the two countries while Air Sial has applied to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh to operate flights to Dhaka.

Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch will also call on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka. She will also have a courtesy meeting with Foreign Affairs Adviser Muhammad Touhid Hossain.