Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, is set to arrive in Dhaka today (August 23) for a two-day official visit at the Bangladesh government's invitation.
According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Dar is expected to land in the Bangladeshi capital at around 2 pm aboard a special flight.
During his visit, Dar will engage in high-level meetings, including discussions with Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, among other political figures.
These meetings are expected to focus on issues encompassing bilateral relations, regional developments, and international matters of mutual interest.
On the second day of the visit, 24 August, Dar is scheduled to meet with Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.
Following their discussions, both sides are expected to sign six agreements and memoranda of understanding to enhance cooperation across several sectors.
These include a visa exemption agreement for holders of official and diplomatic passports, the formation of a bilateral Joint Working Group on trade, cultural exchange initiatives, collaboration between the countries’ foreign service academies, cooperation between their respective state news agencies, and institutional partnership between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Pakistan’s Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).
In addition to official engagements, the Pakistani foreign minister is expected to meet with opposition leaders, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia and representatives of Jamaat-e-Islami.
This visit marks the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh since 2012, when Hina Rabbani Khar travelled to Dhaka to extend an invitation from then Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to attend the Developing-8 (D-8) Summit.
In preparation for Dar’s current visit, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch visited Dhaka in April, during which foreign secretary-level talks were held between the two nations.
Dar’s visit was initially scheduled for April 27–28 this year, but was postponed due to escalating tensions between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue. The visit has since been rescheduled and finalised.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan has been in Dhaka since August 20 on a four-day visit, indicating a broader diplomatic engagement between the two South Asian neighbours.
SMS/
