International Desk:
After the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have started to warm up. Information exchange between the two countries has also increased significantly.
The Pakistani government and business groups hope that in such a situation, annual trade with Bangladesh can increase to $3 billion within a year. Which is four times more than the current time.
Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. After that, tense relations between Dhaka and Islamabad prevailed whenever the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina were in power. However, relations worsened the most when Sheikh Hasina came to power for the third time in 2014. However, relations between the two countries have started to normalize after her fall.
Last year, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met twice at global events. On January 14, Bangladesh’s top military officer, General SM Kamrul Hasan, visited Islamabad and held talks with Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir.
Last week, a delegation from the Pakistan Central Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI) visited Bangladesh. This was the first visit by a high-level business group to Pakistan in a decade. The delegation met with the Bangladesh Commerce Minister, officials from the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Bangladeshi businessmen.
During the visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed to form a Pakistan-Bangladesh Joint Business Council. The Pakistani delegation also called for a free trade agreement between the two countries.
FPCCI Senior Vice President Saqib Fayyaz Magun said that the Bangladesh Commerce Minister told us that Dhaka prefers Pakistani businesses for imports.
He said that Bangladesh has only textile and plastic industries. They have to import many other products for their people. This has opened a door for us, which was closed during Hasina’s time.
Magun said Bangladesh has already placed orders to import 50,000 tonnes of rice and 25,000 tonnes of sugar for immediate use. Bangladesh is also considering importing dates from Pakistan.
Currently, there is only $700 million in annual trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Magun told Nikkei Asia that if trade restrictions are lifted, annual trade will reach $3 billion within a year. We can look at many products like rice, sugar, oil, cotton yarn and women’s clothing.
Another important initiative between the two countries is the maritime route between Chittagong and Karachi. Which has not been used for the last 52 years. This will facilitate trade between the two countries as well as passenger ship movement.
Moreover, Bangladesh and Pakistan are now also examining the possibility of starting direct flights. Which has been suspended since 2018.
On January 12, the Bangladesh High Commissioner in Pakistan announced the easing of visa procedures for Pakistanis.
Magun said, we received Bangladesh visas within a few hours. He also considers this a significant development.
Rafiuddin Siddique, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh from 2016 to 2018, said that it was almost impossible for Pakistanis to get a visa to Bangladesh during Hasina’s government.
He said that relations between Dhaka and Islamabad were at their lowest point when Sheikh Hasina was in power. But recent steps have brought about a significant change in relations between the two countries.
Experts said that internal political issues have mainly contributed to the deterioration of relations with Islamabad during Hasina’s tenure.
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