Bangladesh, Pakistan sign visa waiver, 4 MoUs and cultural exchange programme

Bangladesh and Pakistan signed an agreement, four memorandums of understanding (MoUs), and a cultural exchange programme in Dhaka today (24 August).

The signing ceremony took place at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital, attended by Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, at a meeting with Dar later, highlighted the importance of revitalising all potential avenues of regional and bilateral cooperation, urging progress in bilateral trade and emphasising the role of people-to-people connections, particularly among youth.

Before the signing of the agreement, a bilateral meeting was held between the two countries at the foreign minister level.

The two sides signed an agreement to exempt visa requirements for holders of official and diplomatic passports. In addition, MoUs were signed on forming a joint working group on trade, cooperation between the two foreign service academies, collaboration between the national news agencies Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha and Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation, and an institutional partnership between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Adviser Touhid said at a press briefing. 

A cultural exchange programme was also signed to promote people-to-people ties.

Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges, cooperation on education and capacity building and humanitarian issues.

Regional and international issues, including the rejuvenation of Saarc and the resolution of the Palestine and the Rohingya issue, were also discussed.

Meeting with CA Yunus

Ishaq Dar conveyed greetings from Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif during his courtesy call on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the latter's official residence State Guest House Jamuna.

Yunus warmly reciprocated, recalling past exchanges with PM Sharif. "Every time Prime Minister Sharif and I met, we spoke about Saarc. Our visions are aligned, and Saarc remains a top priority for both of us," the chief adviser noted.

Underscoring opportunities for collaboration and expanding trade ties, Deputy Prime Minister Dar remarked, "I feel our two economies are complementary. There are many areas where we can work together."

Dar, who is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit Bangladesh in 13 years, shared that efforts were underway to improve connectivity, including shipping and air travel. "By October, we hope Fly Jinnah will launch direct flights between our two countries. The PIA is also expected to launch direct flights to Dhaka once the airline is privatised," he announced.

During his visit to Dhaka, the deputy prime minister also held discussions with several advisers and met representatives from various political parties.

Knowledge Corridor

Coinciding with the visit of the Pakistani foreign minister, a Bangladesh-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor was launched, reports UNB.

The project envisages the grant of 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students for pursuing higher studies in Pakistan during the next five years.

A quarter of these scholarships will be awarded in the field of medicine.

Besides, training for 100 Bangladeshi civil servants will be arranged during the same period.

Pakistan also decided to increase the scholarships allocated to Bangladeshi students under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Program from 5 to 25.