DHAKA, Mar 21: In another sign of the fast-warming ties between Dhaka and Islamabad ever since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch are to visit Dhaka in April, with a five-day gap between their arrivals.
A senior official of Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry told Prothom Alo on Thursday that Foreign Secretary-level talks between Bangladesh and Pakistan will be held in Dhaka on April 17, in the first such meeting in nearly 15 years between the two sides.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary, Jashim Uddin, and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Amna Baloch, will lead their respective delegations.
Following this, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain will hold a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on April 22.
Foreign ministry sources told Prothom Alo that the final schedule for the Pakistani delegation’s visit is still being worked out.
Both Ishaq Dar and Amna Baloch are expected to pay a courtesy call on Chief Advisor of the Interim Government Muhammad Yunus.
Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin confirmed the upcoming Foreign Secretary-level talks to Prothom Alo. He emphasised that the discussions will cover all aspects of bilateral relations, including historical unresolved issues.
According to Foreign Ministry officials, the meeting is expected to focus on key areas such as trade and investment, air connectivity, defence cooperation, agricultural collaboration and cultural exchange programmes.
A specialised cultural exchange programme may also be proposed to Pakistan.
The last Foreign Secretary-level meeting between the two countries took place in Islamabad in November 2010.
A Foreign Ministry official noted that direct cargo shipping has already begun between the two nations, and visa restrictions have been eased. Trade and commerce are also showing signs of expansion.
Additionally, Fly Jinnah, a Pakistani low-cost airline, is awaiting final approval to begin passenger flights to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has already granted Fly Jinnah permission, and Pakistan’s aviation authority is currently working on finalising its General Sales Agent (GSA) approval.
Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on August 5 last year, the Army backed-Interim Government in Bangladesh has been cosying up to Pakistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met with Chief Advisor Yunus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York last September and again at the D-8 summit in Cairo last December.
Bangladesh maintains that any progress in bilateral relations must address long-standing unresolved issues, including, Pakistan’s unconditional apology for the 1971 war crimes, compensation for war damages, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, Bangladesh’s rightful share of pre-1971 assets, repayment of foreign aid during the 1970 cyclone in undivided Pakistan. (UNI)
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