Bangladesh is our lost brother: Pakistan’s foreign minister
Last Updated on January 3, 2025 6:59 am
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said, ‘Bangladesh is our lost brother. Pakistan will cooperate with Bangladesh in every possible way.’
Ishaq Dar spoke about Bangladesh as well as global issues at a press conference in the capital Islamabad on Thursday (January 2).
Dhaka-Islamabad relations have gained new momentum after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in the face of mass student and public movements in July-August.
Direct sea communication has been started for the first time since 1971. At the same time, the ban on cargo inspection between Pakistan and Bangladesh has also been lifted.
As part of this, a cargo ship from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi recently anchored directly at the Chittagong port. This is the first time since 1971 that a Pakistani cargo ship has anchored in Bangladesh.
This direct sea connection between the two countries is also being described as historic. In such a situation, there are also questions about what kind of impact this direct sea connection between Dhaka and Islamabad will have on India.
Besides, direct flights will be launched between Bangladesh and Pakistan soon, said Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi SM Mahbubul Alam. He also said that this initiative will significantly strengthen the relationship between the two countries and their business communities.
It is worth noting that after Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, there was no direct trade between the two countries for many years. Although trade relations were later re-established, ships carrying goods from Pakistan did not usually come to Chittagong directly. Ships carrying goods from that country would first unload containers in Sri Lanka. Then, those containers would be transferred to Bangladesh by changing ships.
During the rule of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, relations between the two countries were cold. Import-export activities with Pakistan began to be limited after the Awami League came to power in 2009. At that time, the NBR ‘red-listed’ most of the products imported from Pakistan citing security reasons.
After the interim government led by Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus came to power, all types of products from the country were freed from the red list on September 29 at the request of Pakistan. But not only in this case, there are many other activities to improve relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The announcement of the meeting between Professor Yunus and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the United Nations last September also mentioned that the two countries have strengthened mutual cooperation at various levels. And amidst all this, the news of the new ship being launched indicates the warmth of relations between the two countries.
Source: Minute Mirror