Pakistan Foreign Secretary in Bangladesh for first bilateral talks in 15 years

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s growing closeness with Pakistan is visible once again as Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday for the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) being held after a gap of 15 years.

The high-level talks between the two South Asian countries will take place at the state guest house Padma on Thursday. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Jasim Uddin will be leading the host delegation.

Both sides are expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including unresolved historical matters between the two nations.

“The two sides are expected to discuss the entire range of bilateral issues,” said a Bangladeshi Foreign ministry official.

He mentioned that since the talks are being held after such a long hiatus, no specific agenda has been fixed and all areas of mutual interest are likely to be covered during the discussions.

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 Liberation War, the return of stranded assets, and compensation.

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

During her stay in Dhaka, Baloch is expected to call on Yunus and Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain following the FOC on Thursday.

Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said there will be discussions on all issues of mutual interest as the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to pay an official visit to Bangladesh, later this month.

In September, Yunus met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where both leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral ties.

In January, four high-ranking ISI officials, including Director General of Analysis Major General Shahid Amin Afsar visited Dhaka, marking a significant shift in Bangladesh-Pakistan relations.

A Bangladeshi military delegation led by Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, also visited Rawalpindi — the nerve centre of Pakistan’s military establishment — from January 13 to 18. The delegation met the chiefs of the Pakistani army, navy, and air force, highlighting a deepening military dialogue.

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.

IANS