Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday for a two-day official trip, marking the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh in over a decade.
The Foreign Office termed the visit “landmark,” noting that Dar is scheduled to meet Bangladeshi leadership, including Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, and Commerce Adviser SK Bashir Uddin, to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional issues.
During the first leg of his trip, Dar met a delegation of the National Citizen Party (NCP), praising its reform agenda and stressing youth and cultural exchanges between Pakistan and Bangladesh. He also held talks with Jamaat-i-Islami leaders, lauding their resilience and discussing regional developments.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries have improved since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last year, with notable progress in trade and political engagement. Recent exchanges include Pakistan’s commerce minister’s visit to Dhaka, direct rice trade, Fly Jinnah’s approval for Karachi-Dhaka flights, and agreements on visa-free entry for diplomatic passport holders.
Dar’s visit is expected to result in the signing of four to five MoUs covering trade, culture, media, training, and travel, according to Bangladesh’s foreign ministry.
The last Pakistani foreign minister to visit Dhaka was Hina Rabbani Khar in November 2012.
