Pakistan, Bangladesh leaders discuss strengthening bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar paid an official visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

On the invitation of the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Deputy Prime Minister paid visit to Dhaka on 23-24 August 2025. This was the first visit of a Pakistani Foreign Minister to Dhaka after around 13 years.

According to the Foreign Office, in Dhaka, the Deputy Prime Minister held talks with Adviser for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Md. Touhid Hossain, and called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

He also held a meeting with Commerce Adviser, Sheikh Bashir Uddin, in the presence of a number of senior Bangladeshi officials, handling economic, financial and commercial matters. Three separate delegations, comprising the leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP), also called on the DPM/FM.

The visit witnessed the signing of the following agreements, MoUs and other instruments: i. Agreement on Visa Abolition for Diplomatic and Official Passport Holders ii. MoU on Establishment of Joint Working Group on Trade iii.

MoU for Cooperation between Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BlISS) iv. MoU between Foreign Service Academy of Pakistan and the Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh v. MoU between Associated Press of Pakistan and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha vi. Cultural Exchange Programme.

The DPM/FM announced the launch of the ‘Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor’, which envisages the grant of 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students for pursuing higher studies in Pakistan during the next five years.

The project will also cover training courses for 100 Bangladeshi civil servants during the same period. It was further announced that scholarships allocated for Bangladeshi students under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Program would be increased from 5 to 25.

The DPM/FM’s meetings with the Bangladeshi leaders were held in a cordial atmosphere, reflecting a shared resolve to revitalise bilateral engagement.

At the delegation-level talks between the DPM/FM and the Foreign Adviser of Bangladesh, regional and international issues, especially the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, Rohingya issue, and rejuvenation of SAARC, were also discussed.

The two sides emphasised the need for sustaining the existing momentum of positive developments in bilateral relations. In that connection, they agreed to focus on regular institutional dialogue, early finalisation of pending agreements and MoUs, and enhanced cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, education, capacity building, and connectivity.

During the DPM/FM’s call on the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, the discussions focused on the revival of old connections, promoting youth linkages, enhancing connectivity, and augmenting trade and economic cooperation.