Dar opens Dhaka visit with call to build on reset in ties
0
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday, the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh in 13 years, and opened his two-day trip with a call for intensifying re-engagement and cooperation by building on the reset in ties.
In his initial meetings with Bangladesh’s political leadership and civil society, Dar emphasised Pakistan’s “strong desire to forge a cooperative and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh”.
Speaking at a reception hosted by the Pakistan High Commission, he noted that “the bilateral relations are characterised by a new energy and fresh enthusiasm”.
The reception drew a wide cross-section of Bangladeshi society, including government advisers, bureaucrats, political leaders, university vice chancellors, members of think tanks and the intelligentsia, athletes, artists, journalists, and retired military officials.
MoUs on trade, visa abolition, education, foreign service academies cooperation and culture to be inked
Earlier, Mr Dar also met representatives of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, National Citizen Party and Jamaat-i-Islami, which are key players in Bangladesh’s political landscape. In those talks, Mr Dar reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to strengthening relations with Dhaka on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.
The visit comes in the wake of political change in Bangladesh following the August 2024 ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government had maintained close ties with India and a hard line toward Pakistan rooted in the scars of 1971. Her downfall, driven by mass protests, paved the way for an interim government under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, which has adopted a “friendship to all” policy aimed at diversifying Bangladesh’s partnerships.
Pakistan, soon after Hasina’s ouster, moved swiftly to seize the opening. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a congratulatory message to Mr Yunus last year, and the two countries have since resumed direct maritime trade and military exchanges.
Bilateral trade rose 27 per cent to $865 million in 2024-25. Bangladesh’s exports rose by up to 20pc, while Pakistan’s exports grew 28pc.
FM Dar’s trip carries both symbolic and substantive weight. Symbolically, it represents an effort to move beyond decades of mistrust and acrimony. Substantively, both sides are looking at economic cooperation, defense partnerships and a recalibration of regional alignments.
Officials expect the visit to produce around half a dozen memoranda of understanding, including agreements on cultural exchanges, visa abolition for official passport holders, creation of a working group on trade, cooperation between foreign service academies, and academic partnerships.
For Pakistan, the goals are clear — boost trade volumes to $3 billion annually, position itself as a partner in Bangladesh’s economic future, and deepen defense and security cooperation. Although public statements are cautious, senior-level military and intelligence exchanges have been taking place. Just before Mr Dar’s arrival, Bangladesh Army Quartermaster Lt Gen Md Faizur Rahman met Pakistani commanders in Rawalpindi, where both sides pledged to expand defense ties.
For Bangladesh, the visit offers a chance to assert strategic autonomy after years of alignment with India. Under Hasina, Dhaka’s $18bn trade with New Delhi and deep security links made it central to India’s South Asia strategy. But strains have grown, fueled by Hasina’s exile in India and incidents such as New Delhi’s unannounced release of water from the Dumbur dam during Bangladesh’s 2024 floods, which intensified the “India Out” sentiment among the public.
Mr Yunus’s interim government hopes Mr Dar’s trip will deliver economic gains, including enhanced trade and visa relaxations, while also contributing to its “Forces Goal 2030” military modernisation programme. Diplomatically, Dhaka is pushing for progress on unresolved 1971 issues, including a $4.52bn asset-sharing claim and the possibility of a formal apology from Pakistan over wartime atrocities.
The visit carries implications beyond bilateral relations. Bangladesh’s shift towards Pakistan and closer ties with China could further erode India’s regional influence, intensifying concern in New Delhi about strategic encirclement.
Still, challenges loom large. Domestic sensitivities in Bangladesh over 1971 remain politically explosive. Any perception that Pakistan is unwilling to address them could trigger controversy in Dhaka, which is preparing for elections in next February.
As FM Dar prepares for formal bilateral meetings on Sunday, the stakes are high. His visit is more than a diplomatic gesture; it is an attempt to redefine a relationship long scarred by history.
Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025
Baqir Sajjad Syed is the Foreign Affairs and National Security Correspondent for Dawn. His career of over 25 years spans print and broadcast journalism. He is a former UN Reham al-Farah Fellow and held a Pakistan Fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, DC. He can be found on X at @baqirsajjad.
