After a 15-year diplomatic standoff, Pakistan and Bangladesh are resuming their discussions.
The first high-level diplomatic interaction between Bangladesh and Pakistan in fifteen years took place when Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch traveled to Dhaka to lead Pakistan’s team to the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC).
Ishrat Jahan, the Director General of the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry, received Baloch, the Dhaka Tribune said. Alongside her Bangladeshi counterpart, Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin, she will take part in the FOC.
After more than ten years of stagnation, Islamabad’s suggested consultations are intended to deepen and revitalize bilateral ties. According to diplomatic sources cited by The Daily Star, all significant bilateral issues are anticipated to be tackled.
Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister of Pakistan, is scheduled to travel to Bangladesh from April 27 to 28 in another indication of improving relations.
The start of negotiations comes after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in a popular movement in August of last year, which caused a change in Bangladesh’s foreign policy stance. Dhaka was able to rebalance its regional ties, especially with Islamabad, after she left for India, a longtime ally.
There have been important trade and diplomatic changes in recent months. In a phone conversation last month, Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated their desire to closer relations.
Additionally, economic ties are getting better. Pakistan imported 50,000 tons of rice in February, marking the start of direct government-to-government trade between the two countries. For the first time in decades, a cargo ship sailed straight from Karachi to Chittagong in November 2024, marking the start of private trade again.
