Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch will arrive in Bangladesh tomorrow to hold the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC), 15 years after the last such diplomatic engagement, as Dhaka and Islamabad are working to normalise relations.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin will lead the Bangladesh side, while Amna Baloch will lead the Pakistan side at the FOC to be held at state guest house Padma.
The meeting is being held ahead of the visit of Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on April 27-28.
Islamabad has been keen to warm up relations with Dhaka following the ouster of the former Awami League government and the ousting of prime minister Sheikh Hasina to India after a mass uprising in July-August last year.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last September, and again at the D-8 summit in Cairo last December.
Bangladesh has already eased visas for the Pakistani nationals, direct shipping has already begun and businesses both in Bangladesh and Pakistan are showing keen interest to boost trade.
Diplomatic sources said Pakistan is also planning to enhance cultural exchange between the two countries and to start direct air connectivity.
Diplomatic sources said all issues of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be discussed during the FOC.
"Pakistan sees potential for boosting exports to Bangladesh, especially if their products are price competitive," Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan, who is currently in Dhaka to attend the meeting, told The Daily Star.
Islamabad is particularly keen to enhance trade ties with Dhaka, citing that cotton, sugar, rice, wheat can be some of the major products Pakistan can export to Bangladesh.
In the fiscal year 2023–24, Bangladesh's exports to Pakistan totaled $61.98 million, while imports from Pakistan amounted to $627.8 million.
Iqbal Hussain said Pakistan serves as a gateway for goods from Afghanistan and Iran and thus there is scope for Bangladesh to explore imports directly from Pakistan.
He said Pakistan's Fly Jinnah has already secured approval for operating flights between Dhaka and Karachi and another Pakistani private carrier, Air Sial, has applied to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to operate flights to Dhaka.
"Fly Jinnah is currently waiting to expand its fleet before launching Dhaka operations," he said.
The direct air link is anticipated to boost tourism and promote greater people-to-people contact between the two countries, he told The Daily Star at the foreign ministry yesterday.
The discussions in the 2010 FOC included Pakistan's unconditional apology for the 1971 war crimes, compensation for war damages, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, Bangladesh's rightful share of pre-1971 assets, and repayment of foreign aid during the 1970 cyclone in undivided Pakistan.
Asked about the unresolved historical issues, Iqbal Hussain said such matters often persist in bilateral relations worldwide, but should not hinder current engagement or economic cooperation.
Asked about the visits by Pakistan Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister to Dhaka, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said a key aspect of Chief Adviser's foreign policy has been the revival of SAARC and strengthening relations with all the member countries.
"He wants improved relations with all SAARC member countries, as we are all part of the South Asian family. In that context, Pakistan too is part of our South Asian family… we want to develop relations with them. We want to strengthen ties with India, Bhutan, and Nepal too.
"Our diplomacy is focused on protecting and upholding the interests of Bangladesh to the fullest extent."