Published on: August 24, 2025 1:06 PM
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday for an official two-day trip, marking the first state visit by a foreign minister to Bangladesh in 13 years, and kicked off his itinerary by engaging the country’s political stakeholders in meetings.
Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh saw Sheikh Hasina’s government being toppled in August of last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement.
According to a press release by the FO, Dar arrived in Dhaka today “on a landmark official visit from August 23-24” on the invitation of Bangladesh’s government. He was received by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Ambassador Asad Alam Siam, High Commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh Imran Haider, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Muhammad Iqbal Khan and officials of the Pakistan High Commission, it said.
The press release added, “During the visit, the deputy prime minister will hold important meetings with the Bangladeshi leadership, including Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, Adviser for Foreign Affairs Mr Md Touhid Hossain, and Adviser for Commerce Mr SK Bashir Uddin.
“Discussions will encompass the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation including regional and international issues of mutual interest.”
FM Dar received a delegation of the National Citizen Party (NCP), led by General Secretary Akhtar Hossain. He appreciated the NCP leadership’s vision for reform and social justice and emphasised the need for greater interaction between the youth of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The delegation members apprised FM Dar on different facets of countrywide political mobilisation in 2024. The FO said the two sides also discussed possibilities to promote cultural exchanges between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the days ahead.
The deputy PM also held a meeting with a delegation of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-i-Islami, led by Naib Amir Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher. “The ways to strengthen Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and the recent developments in the region were two key areas of discussion. The DPM/FM lauded the courage and steadfastness of the Jamaat leaders and activists in the face of hardships and difficulties,” the FO said.
In a third meeting, FM Dar welcomed a delegation from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The FO said the meeting was held in a “cordial atmosphere”.
It said FM Dar expressed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Bangladesh on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.
It added that regional cooperation featured prominently in the discussions, during which Bangladesh’s foundational role in establishing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was “fondly acknowledged”. The FO said the leaders also reflected on past high-level interactions between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The last time a foreign minister paid an official visit to Dhaka was in November 2012, when Hina Rabbani Khar made a six-hour visit to Bangladesh to formally invite then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina to a summit in Islamabad later that month.
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