KEY POINTS
- PM Sharif meets Bangladeshi adviser; relations highlighted as historic and cultural.
- Bilateral ties strained for decades but improving under Dhaka’s new leadership.
- Talks cover trade, connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, and direct flights.
- Leaders exchange invitations for future visits to sustain momentum.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held talks with Bangladesh’s Adviser on Religious Affairs, Dr. A. F. M. Khalid Hossain, who called on him along with Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan, Md Iqbal Hussain Khan.
Welcoming the delegation, the Prime Minister said relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh were “deeply rooted in shared history, cultural ties, and familial affinities.”
He expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral engagement in recent years, highlighting people-to-people contacts, academic exchanges, and expanding trade links.
Pakistan–Bangladesh relations had long remained strained, marked by tensions over historical grievances and limited high-level engagement.
However, the recent change of government in Dhaka under Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has opened a new chapter, with both sides signalling readiness to put past differences behind them and strengthen cooperation in trade, connectivity, and regional diplomacy.
Recalling his earlier interactions with Professor Yunus in New York and Cairo, PM Sharif praised the Nobel laureate’s leadership in poverty alleviation and his commitment to stronger ties between the two South Asian neighbours.
Dr. Hossain also handed over a letter from Professor Yunus conveying condolences over the loss of life and property caused by recent floods in Pakistan, along with an offer of relief assistance.
Both sides discussed resuming direct flights and agreed to continue high-level visits, with invitations exchanged by both governments.
