Pakistan and Bangladesh Renew Bilateral Cooperation with Six Agreements
Islamabad and Dhaka have signed six agreements to enhance cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh, including visa-free travel for diplomats, education collaboration, and media partnerships. The agreements were signed during Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar’s visit to Dhaka, marking the first high-level engagement in over a decade.
The agreements aim to strengthen ties between the two South Asian nations and address historical and political challenges. Trade and diplomatic engagement between the countries has been limited over the past decade due to past conflicts and political tensions. The newly signed agreements include visa-free travel for diplomats and government officials, trade cooperation, and collaboration in areas such as education and media.
The agreements were formalized following discussions between Dar and Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain. Other memorandums of understanding included establishing a joint working group on trade, cooperation between foreign service academies, and an institutional partnership between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the ‘multifaceted and historic’ relationship based on mutual respect and cooperation. Plans for direct flights between the two countries are also underway, with two Pakistani airlines gaining approval to operate them, despite the existing air bans between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Bilateral trade turnover between the two nations is reported to be less than $1 billion annually, highlighting the potential for further economic collaboration.