Pakistan PM, Bangladesh chief adviser resolve to strengthen trade and cultural ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Monday resolved to strengthen trade and cultural relations between the two countries, Sharif’s office said, amid a thaw in ties between the two countries.The statement came after Sharif’s telephonic conversation with Yunus on Eid Al-Fitr in which they recalled their “productive” meetings in New York and Cairo on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and D-8 summits last year.The Pakistan premier expressed his satisfaction at the positive momentum in bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in trade and travel, according to Sharif’s office.
“The two leaders reaffirmed their shared desire to further strengthen bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh,” it said in a statement.“In this regard, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan looked forward to the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister to Dhaka in April and said that a trade delegation would also accompany him.
”Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.In the years since, Bangladeshi leaders, particularly ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, chose to maintain close ties with India. Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August, witnessing a marked improvement.
Pakistani cargo ships have begun to arrive at Bangladesh’s main Chittagong port for the first time since the 1971 war, while Pakistani artists have been performing in Dhaka and Bangladeshi films have been screened at cinemas in Pakistan since December. During his conversation with Yunus, Sharif also underscored the need to revive institutional mechanisms to reinvigorate the bilateral relationship at all levels.“Exchange of cultural troupes to promote people-to-people contact was also discussed,” Sharif’s office said. “The Prime Minister invited a Bangladesh cultural troupe, comprising old and new artists, including the legendary Runa Laila, to visit Pakistan.
