Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and the Bangladeshi army chief on Tuesday expressed appreciation for the “positive trajectory” of growing defence cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in August last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. CJCSC Mirza is currently on a visit to the country.

A press release issued from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today said the CJCSC called on Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman at Army Headquarters, Dhaka.

“During the meeting, both sides appreciated the positive trajectory of expanding defence cooperation between the two countries and agreed to maintain regular exchange visits at various tiers of military leadership,” the ISPR said.

It added that the two dignitaries discussed the evolving global and regional security environment and underscored the importance of further strengthening bilateral cooperation between their militaries.

The discussions covered areas including training, joint exercises, and sharing of experiences in counter-terrorism.

“Both sides also noted the emerging challenges posed by disruptive and divisive disinformation efforts across multiple platforms, recognising them as a common concern. They reaffirmed the need to enhance cooperation and joint efforts to effectively counter these threats.”

A day ago, CJCSC Mirza met Bangladesh’s air and navy chiefs, with all parties vowing to improve defence and security collaboration.

Gen Mirza had held separate meetings with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen S.M. Kamrul Hassan.

In January, PSO Lt Gen Hassan had met COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the two stressed the need for an “enduring partnership” between their countries to “remain resilient against external influences”.