Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has termed his 36-hour visit to Bangladesh as “highly fruitful” expressing confidence that it will inject fresh momentum into bilateral relations between the two countries.
Dar, who arrived in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon and departed late Sunday night, shared his remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter) before leaving. He wrote that the trip had opened new avenues for cooperation and exchanges in multiple sectors.
During the visit, Dar held a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain, where the two sides signed one agreement and five memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
These included a visa exemption deal for holders of diplomatic and official passports, as well as MoUs on cultural exchange, cooperation between news agencies, collaboration between foreign service academies, partnerships with research institutions, and trade cooperation.
Dar also paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser of the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus and attended a breakfast meeting with Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin.
As part of his political outreach, the Pakistani foreign minister visited former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her residence, along with Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman.
On the first day of his trip, he separately met delegations from the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the BNP.
In his X post, Dar noted that he held detailed discussions with senior government officials, political leaders, academics, think tanks, civil society members, and business leaders in Bangladesh.
He highlighted that his talks with Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain were “comprehensive and productive,” with both sides aligning closely on various issues, including high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, cultural and people-to-people ties, education, and skills development. Regional and international matters, particularly the revival of SAARC, were also discussed.
“I firmly believe this visit will bring new momentum to Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and further strengthen cooperation and exchanges across all sectors,” Dar said.
