Bangladesh Foreign Ministry Issues Statement on Strengthening Ties with Pakistan

The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an official statement confirming that Bangladesh and Pakistan are seeking stronger ties. In a bilateral meeting held in Dhaka on 24 August 2025, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation. During the visit, both countries signed six bilateral instruments aimed at strengthening partnership in key sectors.

Bangladesh and Pakistan reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of their peoples. This was emphasized during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, who led their respective delegations in Dhaka. In the afternoon, Senator Dar also called on the Hon’ble Chief Adviser H.E. Professor Muhammad Yunus and conveyed the warm greetings of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Senator Dar is on a two-day official visit to Bangladesh from 23 to 24 August 2025 at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart.

The meeting was held in a spirit of warmth and goodwill, reflecting the brotherly relations between the two nations. Both sides engaged in a candid discussion on bilateral, regional, and international issues. They reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation in areas including trade, investment, agriculture, education, health, energy, connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, tourism, culture, and disaster management. Bangladesh emphasized the importance of unlocking untapped potential across sectors and highlighted the role of the private sector in strengthening ties. Both sides expressed satisfaction over progress in simplifying visas, improving maritime connectivity, and working toward resuming direct air services.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Pakistan is launching the “Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor,” which will provide 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students over the next five years, including one-quarter in the field of medicine. He also expressed Pakistan’s readiness to provide advanced medical treatment and limb replacements for 40 individuals injured during the July Uprising in Bangladesh. Pakistan further offered to train Bangladesh’s national hockey team.

Both sides expressed hope that stronger ties would contribute to peace and prosperity in South Asia. Bangladesh sought Pakistan’s continued support for the safe and voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Both countries also strongly condemned Israeli atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes. They reiterated their support for a viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The two nations stressed the importance of cooperation within SAARC, OIC, and the UN to promote shared objectives of peace and development.

Bangladesh called for resolution of longstanding issues, including a formal apology for the 1971 genocide, division of assets, transfer of foreign aid meant for the 1970 cyclone victims, and repatriation of stranded Pakistanis. It said resolving these matters would provide a solid foundation for forward-looking relations.

The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides expressing optimism for stronger engagement. Senator Dar invited the Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Adviser to visit Islamabad. A signing ceremony followed, attended by senior advisers from both sides and Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan. The two countries signed an agreement on visa abolition for diplomatic and official passport holders, a Cultural Exchange Programme, and four memoranda of understanding on cooperation in trade, between news agencies, foreign service academies, and think tanks.