ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi conveyed to Bangladeshi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam on Sunday that there were “vast opportunities for investment”, as the two sides agreed to increase cooperation in trade and business.

On an official visit to Bangladesh, Mr Naqvi called on Mr Islam in Dhaka, where the two held “detailed discussions on bilateral relations, the regional situation, and Pakistan’s conciliatory role”, according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Interior.

The Bangladeshi state minister appreciated Pakistan’s efforts aimed at resolving the Iran-US conflict, it said.

Pakistan has been leading the efforts for the resolution of the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between Washington and Tehran in April.

The interior ministry’s statement said that during Mr Nqavi’s meeting with Mr Islam, both sides agreed to increase cooperation in the fields of trade, business, and culture and “on maximum mutual exchange of delegations to promote trade and cultural relations”.

“Discussion was also held regarding the visit of Bangladesh’s foreign minister to Pakistan,” it added. Bangladesh Foreign Ministry Secretary Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Pakistani High Commissioner Imran Haider and other officials also attended the meeting.

The meeting comes a day after Mr Naqvi signed an anti-narcotics memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh Interior Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and offered cooperation on the Safe City Project.

Relations between Islamabad and Dhaka have improved since the ouster of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, during whose tenure relations between the two countries remained shaky.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026