Rare Meeting Between Bangladesh and Pakistan to Strengthen Ties 

Former rivals Bangladesh and Pakistan held a bilateral meeting Sunday in which they agreed to strengthen their long-strained relations and boost trade, Agence France-Presse reported. 

The countries signed agreements to promote trade, investment, economic cooperation, and cultural exchanges, as well as scrap visa requirements for diplomatic and official passport holders, Arab News noted. 

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the most senior Pakistani official to have visited Dhaka in more than a decade, said that the potential to do good for the people of both countries is “tremendous.” 

Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, however, said that while both sides agreed to bolster ties, pending issues need to be resolved so they do not hinder the relationship. 

The key sticking point is that Bangladesh demands an apology from Pakistan for atrocities committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence. Hundreds of thousands – or even millions, according to Bangladeshi estimates – were killed during the war.  

Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have improved since the August 2024 mass uprising that ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic government, which had suspended ties with Pakistan. 

For example, the two nations started sea trade last year and began expanding government-to-government commerce in February. 

The Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries Sunday also signed a memorandum of understanding to create a Joint Working Group on Trade tasked with increasing bilateral trade to $1 billion in the financial year that started in July. 

Still, Shahid Kiani, a former Pakistani ambassador who served in Dhaka, said that Hasina’s now-banned Awami League Party still holds considerable influence in Bangladesh and warned Islamabad to proceed cautiously. 

Observers noted that the relations between Bangladesh and India turned sour after Hasina’s ouster due to New Delhi’s decision to grant her asylum after she fled there. 

Analysts believe that India, which fought a four-day conflict with Pakistan in May, will watch the developing Bangladesh-Pakistan relationship closely.