Pakistani Foreign Minister Heads to Bangladesh in Visit Monitored by India

SadaNews - Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is heading to Bangladesh today (Saturday) for the first visit at this level in 13 years, aimed at strengthening relations that have recently seen a rapprochement between the two former enemies.

Dar is the highest-ranking Pakistani official to visit Dhaka since 2012, and this visit has been described by Islamabad as a "significant milestone in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations."

It is expected that the two countries will sign a number of agreements on Sunday, including a trade agreement, according to the "Agence France-Presse."

The ministry indicated that Dar will meet with Bangladesh's transitional Prime Minister Mohammed Yunus.

This visit comes three and a half months after the military confrontation that took place between India and Pakistan over four days, which was the most intense since the 1999 war.

Experts believe that New Delhi will closely monitor the developments of the visit, especially since Pakistan and Bangladesh have taken steps towards rapprochement.

The two countries were a single nation until the devastating independence war in 1971. After this conflict, Bangladesh moved closer to India, Pakistan's arch-enemy.

However, the "August Revolution" of 2024 changed the dynamics; it ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had leaned towards India. New Delhi did not respond to the new authorities in Bangladesh's requests for her extradition to stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity.

Nevertheless, reconciliation between Pakistan and Bangladesh still faces obstacles, particularly in light of Islamabad's lack of response to calls from some segments of the population in that country demanding a formal apology for the war.