Pakistan FM to visit Bangladesh; Muhammad Yunus to reciprocate visit

Pakistan's Ishaq Dar will visit Bangladesh next month, the first such trip by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012, signalling warming ties between Dhaka and Islamabad after Sheikh Hasina's ouster

Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Bangladesh next month, marking the first such visit to India’s eastern neighbour in over a decade, The Express Tribune reported on Friday. The trip signals improving ties between Dhaka and Islamabad following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year.

 

This will reportedly be the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh since 2012, when Hina Rabbani Khar travelled to Dhaka to invite then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid for the D-8 summit. 

 

 

Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar said he would visit Dhaka in February at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart. He also confirmed that Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus has accepted Pakistan's invitation to visit Islamabad on mutually agreed dates.

 

Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh remained strained throughout Sheikh Hasina’s 16-year tenure. According to the report, the Awami League leader did not reciprocate Pakistan’s multiple efforts to mend ties, as she was "aligned with India". India, in turn, viewed Hasina as a reliable regional partner, particularly in efforts to curb extremism and cross-border insurgency. 

 

However, since her ouster in August last year following an uprising, relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have reportedly improved significantly. The report noted several high-level exchanges between the two nations.

 

Bangladesh has also lifted restrictions on Pakistani exports, leading to a rise in bilateral trade. Additionally, the two countries have commenced direct trade via sea routes.

 

During Thursday's press conference, foreign minister Dar reportedly referred to Bangladesh as a "brother country" and stated that Pakistan would provide all possible support to Dhaka.

 

The development follows the recent removal of the security clearance requirement for Pakistani citizens applying for Bangladeshi visas, a move that could have security implications for India’s northeast amid concerns over extremist groups exploiting Bangladesh's shifting political landscape. On December 2, Bangladesh’s interim government announced that Pakistani citizens no longer need a 'no objection' clearance from the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs to obtain visas, according to ThePrint. 

 

The policy, introduced in 2019, was lifted just a day before Pakistan's high commissioner to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof, met Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia. The BNP has historically maintained closer ties with Pakistan, in contrast to Hasina's Awami League.

 

Relations between India and Bangladesh have been under significant strain since the ouster of former Prime Minister Hasina, following massive anti-government protests in August 2024 that ended her 16-year rule. Forced to flee the country, Hasina sought refuge in India on August 5 and has since lived in exile, with her last known official location being a military airbase near New Delhi. 

 

Tensions between the two nations have worsened under Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, who assumed power shortly after Hasina’s departure. Attacks on Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh have further deepened the discord. Bangladesh's interim government has officially requested Hasina’s return to Dhaka and revoked her diplomatic passport.