Two ministers from Pakistan to visit Dhaka within two days of each other
Two Pakistani ministers are coming to Dhaka within just two days of each other. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan will arrive in Dhaka on 21 August for a four-day visit, while the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will come on 23 August for a two-day trip. Diplomatic sources in Dhaka confirmed this information to Prothom Alo today, Thursday.
Ishaq Dar’s two-day visit to Dhaka, starting on 23 August, had already been scheduled earlier. Yesterday, Wednesday, Pakistan informed Bangladesh that its Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan would visit Dhaka from 21 to 24 August.
Diplomatic sources say that after the political change in Bangladesh brought about by the student-people's uprising of 5 August 2024, Pakistan took the initiative to activate discussions between the two countries at various levels.
In April this year, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aamna Baloch visited Dhaka with the aim of reviving the two countries’ one-and-a-half-decade frosty relations. In continuation of that effort, Ishaq Dar is coming to Dhaka. During his visit, in addition to reviving ties, he may discuss ways to enhance political-level engagement.
According to diplomatic sources, after Jam Kamal Khan and Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb may also visit Dhaka.
Muhammad Aurangzeb is expected to come to Dhaka in September or October to attend a meeting of the two countries’ Joint Economic Commission (JEC). Economic Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed will head the Bangladesh side at this meeting by. The last JEC meeting between the two countries was held in 2005.
Possible outcome of the visits
Diplomatic sources said that following the foreign secretary–level meeting between the two countries, Ishaq Dar’s visit will carry a political message regarding the revival of bilateral relations.
The formal meeting between Bangladesh’s Foreign Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will be held on 24 August.
A review of government documents and discussions with several former and current Bangladeshi diplomats reveal that there is no precedent for a bilateral visit or meeting at the foreign minister level between the two countries.
In the upcoming meeting, the foreign ministers of both countries are expected to discuss various issues related to relations and cooperation. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have said that final preparations are underway regarding the agenda of the meeting.
told Prothom Alo, “We are not doing anything out of the way in our relations with Pakistan. Like with many other countries, we are trying to establish a normal relationship with Pakistan, focusing on facilitating trade, investment, and the movement of people.Touhid Hossain, Advisor. Minister for Foreign Affairs
According to ministry sources, following the formal meeting between Touhid Hossain and Ishaq Dar, several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) have been finalized for signing. The list of agreements to be signed includes cooperation between the foreign service academies of the two countries and cultural exchange.
Last month, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi visited Dhaka. According to sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs, following this visit, progress has been made on signing a visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders of the two countries. The two countries have exchanged drafts of the agreement. If political-level approval is granted next week, there is a possibility that the agreement will be signed during Ishaq Dar’s visit.
Meanwhile, during Pakistan Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan’s visit, emphasis will be placed on how trade and business between the two countries can be strengthened. According to sources at the Ministry of Commerce, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the formation of a Joint Working Group on trade has been finalized. If all goes smoothly, this MoU may be signed during Jam Kamal Khan’s visit to Dhaka. The working group on trade will be led by the additional secretaries of the commorce ministries of both countries.
Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain told Prothom Alo, “We are not doing anything out of the way in our relations with Pakistan. Like with many other countries, we are trying to establish a normal relationship with Pakistan, focusing on facilitating trade, investment, and the movement of people. There is no need for economically or politically hostile relations with Pakistan. In the past, a hostile environment with Pakistan was created unnecessarily, and we have moved beyond that. While normalising relations with Pakistan, three unresolved issues remain on the discussion table.”