Dhaka: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday for a rare two-day visit, marking the first high-level trip by a Pakistani leader to Bangladesh in over a decade.
The visit is seen as a major step toward reviving bilateral relations strained for years under the previous Awami League government.
Dar, who flew in on a special flight, was received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.
Islamabad described the visit as a “significant milestone” in efforts to strengthen ties between the two South Asian nations.
The last Pakistani foreign minister to visit Dhaka was Hina Rabbani Khar in 2012. Her trip was aimed at inviting then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to a regional summit in Islamabad.
According to Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry officials, Dar is scheduled to hold talks on Sunday with Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain.
The discussions could lead to the signing of up to six agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs), covering areas such as visa exemptions for diplomatic passport holders, cultural exchanges, foreign service academy cooperation, and news agency partnerships.
Talks are also underway on MoUs related to quality control, agricultural research, and halal certification.
Dar is also expected to call on interim government chief Muhammad Yunus and meet leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami during his stay.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the agenda includes a “whole range” of bilateral, regional, and international issues.
The visit comes shortly after Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan’s trip to Bangladesh, during which he met government officials and business leaders in Dhaka and Chattogram.
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Their discussions focused on reviving the long-dormant Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission and forming a new Trade and Investment Commission to boost economic cooperation.
Pakistan’s outreach follows significant political changes in Dhaka.
Ties between the two countries had hit their lowest point under Hasina’s government, particularly after the 2010 war crimes trials targeting collaborators of the Pakistani army during the 1971 Liberation War.
Relations began to thaw after a student-led movement ousted Hasina on August 5, 2024, paving the way for an interim government under Muhammad Yunus.
Dhaka’s growing rift with New Delhi has further opened the door for Islamabad to renew engagement.
