Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider expressed hope on Monday that direct flights between Karachi and Dhaka will start in January, during a meeting with the Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh remained shaky during Sheikh Hasina’s rule. However, following the popular revolt against her government and her subsequent exile, relations between the two countries improved markedly, with Professor Muhammad Yunus leading the interim administration in Dhaka.

“During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and aviation, as well as scaling up cultural, educational, and medical exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two South Asian nations,” said a statement shared on X by Bangladesh’s interim leader.

Haider, during the meeting, also noted that bilateral trade has recorded a 20 per cent growth compared to last year, with business communities from both countries actively exploring new investment opportunities.

The high commissioner further highlighted a “significant increase” in cultural exchanges, adding that “Bangladeshi students have shown strong interest in higher education opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence”.

“Pakistan has witnessed a rise in patients travelling to its leading hospitals for liver and kidney transplants,” said Islamabad’s envoy.

According to the statement, the high commissioner also stated that Pakistan was ready to offer “training and academic opportunities in transplantation-related medical fields”.

The statement added that Bangladesh’s interim leader welcomed the “growing interactions between the two countries” and emphasised the “importance of increased visits, as well as cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges among SAARC member states.”

“Professor Yunus also underscored the need to further boost Bangladesh–Pakistan trade,” added the statement.

Yunus also expressed hope that during the current high commissioner’s tenure, both countries would “explore new avenues for investment and joint venture businesses“.

In August, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also met with Professor Yunus.

During his landmark visit to Dhaka, both countries stressed the need to revitalise regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

The Foreign Office (FO) termed Dar’s two-day visit — the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh in 13 years — a “significant milestone” in the two countries’ relations.

Paki­stan and Bangladesh had agreed to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports from the other side a month before, when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Dhaka.