Home
+
Published : 24 Aug 2025, 07:13 PM
For the first time in more than 13 years, a Pakistani foreign minister’s visit to Bangladesh has yielded a visa waiver agreement for government and diplomatic passport holders, along with five memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
The agreements were signed on Sunday at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka in the presence of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain.
Earlier, the foreign ministers held bilateral talks where they reaffirmed a commitment to strengthening what they called the “multifaceted and historic” relationship between the two countries on the basis of “mutual respect, understanding and cooperation”.
THE AGREEMENTS
Under the visa waiver agreement, Bangladeshi holders of government and diplomatic passports will no longer need prior visas to travel to Pakistan, and the same will apply to their Pakistani counterparts.
The five MoUs include:
- Enhanced cooperation between the state news agencies Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
- Collaboration between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI).
- Agreements to promote cooperation in higher education, trade and other fields.
At a press conference following the talks, Touhid described Pakistan as an “important neighbour in South Asia”.
He said: “The relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan is multifaceted and historic. We have pledged to take our existing ties further forward.”
According to him, the discussions touched on unresolved issues from the past as well as cooperation in trade, commerce, health, education and sports.
Both sides agreed on the need to strengthen trade relations and boost investment.
Current annual bilateral trade remains under $1 billion.
According to BSS, Bangladesh requested greater access for its goods under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), particularly in textiles, energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, fisheries, livestock and ICT.
Pakistan, in turn, expressed interest in exporting energy to Bangladesh.
CONNECTIVITY AND TRANSPORT
Touhid noted that while a Chattogram-Karachi shipping service had been launched, it was not operating regularly.
“Both sides stressed the importance of making this service regular,” he said.
On air links, he said two airlines had been granted preliminary approval to operate, and work was under way to establish direct flights in a move expected to boost trade, tourism and other sectors.
EDUCATION AND HEALTH
The meeting also discussed expanding cooperation in higher education, including scholarships for Bangladeshi students in Pakistan.
The two countries also agreed to increase collaboration in medical education, pharmaceuticals, engineering and technology.
“In addition to bilateral issues, we also discussed regional cooperation, including SAARC,” Touhid said.
