Bangladesh and Pakistan on Sunday signed a visa waiver agreement and five memorandums of understanding (MoUs), signalling a step towards rebuilding bilateral ties despite lingering disputes over the 1971 Liberation War.

The agreements, inked during the second day of Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s two-day state visit to Dhaka, cover diplomatic and official passport exemptions, trade cooperation, academic exchanges, and collaboration between national news agencies and strategic studies institutes.

The visit, which also included meetings with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, comes amid ongoing disagreements over unresolved issues from the 1971 war, including calls for an official apology, asset repatriation, and the return of stranded Pakistanis.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain stressed the importance of continued dialogue, while Ishaq Dar insisted that most 1971-related issues had already been addressed in past settlements. 

Both sides highlighted progress in visa facilitation, maritime and air connectivity, and pledged cooperation in education, healthcare, and sports.

Visa exemption and MoUs

The signing ceremony took place at a city hotel in Dhaka, with Touhid Hossain and Ishaq Dar in attendance. The visa waiver agreement applies to diplomatic and official passport holders of both countries.

The five MoUs cover formation of a joint working group on trade; cooperation between the Foreign Service academies; collaboration between national news agencies (BSS and APPPC); and cooperation between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies

Islamabad (ISSI)

Earlier, bilateral meetings were held between the delegations, during which Bangladesh highlighted the need to unlock untapped potential across all sectors. Touhid Hossain underlined the role of private sectors in fostering closer ties.

Both sides welcomed progress in simplifying visa processes, improving maritime connectivity, and resuming air links.

Education, healthcare, and sports initiatives

Ishaq Dar announced Pakistan’s plan to launch the “Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor,” which will provide 500 scholarships over five years for Bangladeshi students to pursue higher education in Pakistan.

He also conveyed Pakistan’s readiness to offer advanced medical treatment, including limb replacement, for 40 individuals, including students injured during Bangladesh’s July Uprising. Pakistan has also offered to train the national hockey team.

Regional and international issues

The talks addressed regional and international concerns. Bangladesh urged Pakistan’s continued support for the early, safe, voluntary, and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, marking the eighth anniversary of the “Rohingya Genocide.”

Both sides strongly condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including human rights violations and starvation campaigns by Israeli Occupying Forces, calling on the international community to act urgently to secure a permanent ceasefire.

Unresolved 1971 issues

Following the meetings, Touhid Hossain dismissed Ishaq Dar’s claim that all 1971 issues had been settled. 

He said the countries would continue discussions on unresolved matters.

“We presented our respective positions during the meeting. I can assure you that we clearly outlined our stance on three specific issues. Both sides acknowledged the need to resolve them. For bilateral relations to move forward smoothly, these matters need to be addressed and put behind us,” Touhid told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy.

Bangladesh’s outstanding issues include securing an official apology for the 1971 Liberation War genocide, the return of its rightful assets, and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.

“Both sides agreed that we will continue discussions on these issues. We will make an effort to have focused talks at some point so that they can be resolved,” he added.

Ishaq Dar, meanwhile, maintained that two of the three unresolved issues, including the genocide apology, had already been settled twice. 

“On the matter of unresolved issues, what I want to say is that the first settlement took place in 1974. Later, General Pervez Musharraf came here and publicly and openly addressed the matter. So, it has been settled twice – once in 1974, and again in the early 2000s,” he said.

Courtesy visits

In the afternoon, Ishaq Dar met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at his official residence Jamuna and discussed issues aimed at reviving bilateral ties.

The meeting also focused on strengthening youth exchanges, improving connectivity and boosting trade and economic cooperation, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The recent developments in the region and the prospects of regional cooperation also came up at the meeting for discussions.  

Ishaq Dar conveyed Pakistan prime minister’s greetings to the chief adviser.

He apprised the chief adviser of his engagements in Dhaka and the key outcomes of his visit.

Ishaq Dar also expressed his gratitude to Professor Yunus for the excellent arrangements and warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation during the visit.

He also paid a courtesy visit to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia to enquire about her health. 

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain attended on behalf of the party, with Pakistan’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Imran Haider present.

Dar later visited Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman in the Bhatara area. 

The meeting lasted over half an hour, during which he enquired about Rahman’s health and discussed issues of mutual interest, according to Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected]

Edited by M Munir Hossain