Muhammad Yunus, Shehbaz Sharif meet on UNGA sidelines, discuss trade, economic ties

New York: Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus held a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

According to Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, the meeting on Wednesday (local time) focused on trade and economic ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

This marked the second meeting between Yunus and Sharif — the first being on the sidelines of last year’s UNGA meet — reflecting the growing closeness between Dhaka and Islamabad since the ouster of the democratically elected Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Relations between Dhaka and Islamabad remained strained during the 15-year rule of the former Awami League government due to issues such as the war crimes trials in Bangladesh and broader regional politics.

Key issues in Bangladesh-Pakistan relations have always included Pakistan’s role in the 1971 genocide during the Liberation War, the return of stranded assets, and compensation.

However, things have changed drastically since the formation of the interim government led by Yunus in August 2024.

Last month, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made a two-day official visit to Dhaka, marking the first state-level visit of any Pakistani official to Bangladesh in 13 years.

During this meeting, Dar claimed that the long-standing 1971 genocide issue had been resolved twice in the past, a claim which was quickly denied by Dhaka.

The two nations, historically estranged since the brutal 1971 Liberation War — wherein Pakistani forces massacred millions of people and reportedly raped hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi women — are now demonstrating signs of rapprochement.

According to Alam, apart from the meeting with the Pakistani PM, Yunus also held one-to-one talks with three world leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, and President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani on the third day of his visit to New York.

“Every meeting was very important and we would say our relations with these countries reached a new height through these meetings,” Bangladeshi media outlet BSS quoted Alam as saying while addressing a press briefing in New York.

Alam mentioned that Finland and Italy extended their support for Bangladesh’s upcoming national elections to ensure a democratic transition in the country.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is facing growing uncertainty and political turmoil ahead of next year’s election.

The parties that earlier collaborated with Muhammad Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are now at loggerheads.

IANS