Special Correspondent: After a gap of nearly 15 years, Bangladesh and Pakistan are set to hold a foreign secretary-level Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) in Dhaka on Thursday.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today to lead her country’s delegation at the talks, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it to BSS today.
Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin will lead the Bangladesh side at the FOC to be held at state guest house Padma.
“The two sides are expected to discuss the entire range of bilateral issues,” the official said noting that while no specific agenda has been fixed, all areas of mutual interest are likely to be covered during the discussion,” she said.
The official said, “After such a long hiatus, it is difficult to prioritize topics in advance, but the talks will be comprehensive.”
Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Md Iqbal Hussain Khan, who is currently in Dhaka to attend the meeting, told BSS that Islamabad is particularly keen to enhance trade ties with Dhaka.
“Pakistan sees potential for boosting exports to Bangladesh, especially if their products are price competitive,” he said, citing cotton as a major item that Pakistan is interested in supplying.
The envoy added that as Pakistan serves as a gateway for goods from Afghanistan and Iran, there is scope for Bangladesh to explore imports via Pakistan, provided transport costs remain low.
On the issue of direct air connectivity, High Commissioner Khan said that apart from Fly Jinnah, another Pakistani private carrier, Air Sial—based in Sialkot—has applied to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to operate flights to Dhaka.
“Fly Jinnah is currently waiting to expand its fleet before launching Dhaka operations, while Air Sial is expected to begin direct flights within two months of receiving approval,” he said.
The direct air link is anticipated to boost tourism and promote greater people-to-people contact between the two countries, the envoy noted.
