Pakistani addl secy in Dhaka to finalise their minister's visit

Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister as well as the foreign minister of Pakistan, are likely to visit Dhaka in the second half of April at the invitation of foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain.

Ahead of the visit, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, the additional secretary (Asia and Pacific affairs) of the Pakistan foreign ministry, has arrived in Dhaka to discuss preparations. He met foreign secretary Jashim Uddin at the foreign ministry in Dhaka on Wednesday and handed over a letter from Ishaq Dar to Touhid Hossain.

In a press release, the foreign ministry noted that both sides discussed the resumption of secretary-level talks and the joint economic commission meeting.

The last secretary-level meeting took place in 2010, while the joint economic commission meeting was last held in 2005.

During the meeting, both parties emphasised on cooperation to enhance bilateral trade and reduce the trade deficit of Bangladesh. They expressed satisfaction over recent visits by multiple business delegations to Bangladesh and underscored the importance of visits by product-specific trade delegations from Bangladesh to Pakistan.

Other key topics of discussion included cooperation in tourism, cultural exchanges, the Rohingya crisis, and collaboration on international platforms, particularly enhanced regional and multilateral cooperation through SAARC, OIC, and D-8.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan high commission in Dhaka, in a press release, noted that additional foreign secretary Imran Ahmed Siddiqui engaged with several senior government officials in Dhaka to discuss strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in foreign relations, commerce, culture, visas, and people-to-people connections.

During his meeting with foreign secretary Jashim Uddin, they reviewed the current state of Bangladesh-Pakistan relations, which are based on mutual respect and shared values. Both sides expressed satisfaction with progress in bilateral relations and agreed to enhance cooperation further.

They also discussed the upcoming visit of Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Besides, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui met senior secretary at the home ministry, Nasimul Gani, where both sides expressed satisfaction over eased travel between the two countries and explored ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Bilateral economic and trade relations were discussed in his meeting with commerce secretary Mahbubur Rahaman. Both acknowledged the growth in bilateral trade and highlighted potential areas for further expansion.

He also met the secretary of the cultural affairs ministry, where both sides discussed potential collaborations in music, cinema, drama, and youth-to-youth as well as people-to-people connections. They agreed to work closely to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.