Dhaka, Islamabad close to signing MoU on on-arrival visa for diplomats, govt officials

Bangladesh and Pakistan are close to signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for granting on-arrival visas to diplomatic and official passport holders, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said today (23 July).  

He made the remark after a courtesy meeting at the Secretariat with Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), reads a press release.

The adviser also mentioned that construction of the Bangladesh embassy building in Pakistan is currently underway.

The two sides discussed various issues of mutual interest, including counter-narcotics cooperation, anti-terrorism efforts, mutual assistance between police academies, visa-on-arrival facilities for diplomatic and official passport holders, the Rohingya crisis, cybercrime prevention, and enhancing bilateral trade and business relations.

Naqvi expressed Pakistan's interest in deepening bilateral cooperation across various sectors. He emphasised Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism as a top priority and stated that failure to combat terrorism effectively could pose a global threat, including to Pakistan itself. 

He called for international cooperation in this regard and noted that Bangladesh could benefit from Pakistan's experience in counter-terrorism.

Regarding police training, Naqvi suggested signing an MoU between the two countries' police academies.

Discussing the Rohingya refugee crisis, Naqvi clarified that Pakistan is not granting citizenship to Rohingyas but is issuing them passports with special codes for identification. 

The home adviser urged Pakistan to support efforts for the safe repatriation of the Rohingyas.