International Desk

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Bangladesh next month as the South Asian country wants to deepen its relations with Dhaka amid changed political situation.

Ishaq Dar’s upcoming trip to Dhaka will be the first visit by any Pakistani Foreign Minister since 2012.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh repeatedly wanted Pakistan to “seek apology publicly with a formal announcement” for the atrocities perpetrated against unarmed Bangalees in 1971 during the previous regime.

In February 2023, Bangladesh conveyed the same message to former State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar during a meeting in Sri Lanka's Colombo.

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim invited Pakistan Foreign Minister to visit Malaysia to discuss promotion of trade and discuss development of a roadmap and ensure business to business community interaction so that PM meeting is meaningful.

"So, I will visit Malaysia from February 3 to 5. After completion of my visit to Malaysia, I will also visit Bangladesh at the invitation of Dr Yunus which I received at Cairo," said the Pakistan Foreign Minister on Thursday during a media briefing in Islamabad.

He described his planned Bangladesh visit as "crucial" noting that Bangladesh is their "lost brother."

"We will work, support and cooperate on the economic and trade fronts and things are moving fast on these fronts," said Ishaq Dar.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on the sidelines of the D8 Summit in December 2024 and agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Dr Yunus urged his Pakistani counterpart to settle the issues of 1971 to help Dhaka move forward with its relationship with Islamabad.

"The issues have kept coming again and again. Let's settle those issues for us to move forward," Yunus told Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sharif said the 1974 tripartite agreement involving Bangladesh, Pakistan and India settled things, "but if there are other outstanding issues," he would be happy to look at them.

Prof Yunus said it would be nice to resolve things "once and for all for the future generations."

The two leaders also expressed their desire to extend cooperation in new areas such as the sugar industry and dengue management.

Prof Yunus and Sharif discussed issues of mutual interest, including the revival of the SAARC—a key feature of the foreign policy announced by the Chief Adviser after he took over as the head of the interim government.

The 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate also spoke about his government's plan to carry out "essential reforms" and hold the general election before mid-2026.