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ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday held wide-ranging talks with Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain during which both sides discussed enhancing trade and economic cooperation as well as the resolution of the Palestine issue, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. 

Dar arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday in the most high-profile visit by a Pakistani official to Dhaka in recent years. His visit comes as both countries move closer and attempt to forge stronger ties following the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina after a violent uprising in Bangladesh last year. 

His official trip follows months of increased contact between the two South Asian nations. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal has been in Dhaka this week discussing trade and agricultural collaboration, while Pakistan’s foreign secretary Amna Baloch held the first bilateral consultations with Bangladesh in 15 years in April.

During their talks in Dhaka, Dar and Hossain reviewed bilateral ties, including high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges, cooperation in education and capacity building, the Pakistani foreign office said. 

“Regional and international issues, including rejuvenation of SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] and resolution of Palestine and the Rohingya issues were also discussed,” the foreign office added. 

Pakistan has repeatedly condemned Israel for its military operations in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, which have killed over 60,000 Palestinians in the densely populated strip. 

The statement said that talks between both sides took place in a “constructive atmosphere,” reflecting the goodwill between the two countries. 

“Both sides agreed to work for further strengthening of bilateral relations,” the foreign office said. 

Following delegation-level talks between the two sides, Pakistan and Bangladesh signed six agreements. The two sides signed an agreement on Visa Abolition for Diplomatic and Official Passport Holders, a memorandum of understanding on Joint Working Group on Trade and a memorandum of understanding between the Foreign Service Academies of Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

The two sides also signed an MoU between the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, another MoU between the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, and the Cultural Exchange Programme.

“These agreements will institutionalize and further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in trade and economics, training of diplomats, academic exchanges, media cooperation and cultural exchanges,” the Pakistani foreign office added. 

Earlier, the Pakistani deputy premier, along with Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, met Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin and other senior officials of Bangladesh’s state-owned institutions on Sunday. 

The foreign ministry said in-depth discussions were held on bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two sides. 

From the Bangladesh side, the governor of its central bank, the executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the chairman of the Bangladesh Trading Corporation and the chairman of the country’s civil aviation authority were present in the meeting. 

The Pakistan foreign ministry said the secretaries of commerce and aviation ministries of Bangladesh, along with the chairman of the National Board of Revenue, also attended the meeting. 

Pakistan and Bangladesh have attempted to decrease hostile ties ever since Hasina’s ouster last year, which created space for the two countries to reset ties. Pakistan and Bangladesh were one country until the 1971 war caused Bangladesh to secede from Pakistan. 

After arriving on Saturday, Dar met leaders of Bangladesh’s newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), a student-led movement that spearheaded the protests that unseated Hasina.

The Pakistani deputy prime minister is scheduled to meet Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus as well during his two-day stay in Dhaka.