Pakistan deputy PM Dar to visit Dhaka on August 23
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to arrive in Dhaka on 23 August, marking another significant step in the steady revival of relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh after decades of diplomatic coolness.
Speaking to Dawn on 12 August, Dar confirmed the trip with a brief but clear response: “Yes,” when asked about reports of the visit. Bangladeshi media outlets reported earlier that Dar will hold formal talks with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on 24 August, in addition to a series of meetings with senior government officials.
Dar’s visit comes against the backdrop of a dramatic improvement in bilateral relations since August last year, when a mass uprising ousted the long-standing government of Sheikh Hasina, prompting her departure to India. The political upheaval created an opening for Dhaka to recalibrate its foreign policy, including a renewed engagement with Islamabad.
For much of the five decades following Bangladesh’s 1971 independence — achieved after a bloody war of separation from what was then West Pakistan — relations between the two nations were marked by deep mistrust. Bangladesh largely aligned itself with India, while political sensitivities over historical grievances kept contacts with Pakistan at a minimum.
The thaw has been swift in recent months. In July 2025, the two countries agreed in principle to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports, following talks between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Bangladesh’s Home Minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
April saw Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch travel to Dhaka for Foreign Office Consultations — the first such meeting in 15 years. A month earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus spoke by phone, pledging to deepen cooperation.
In February, both countrys launched direct government-to-government trade for the first time in decades, beginning with the import of 50,000 tonnes of rice from Bangladesh. This was followed in November 2024 by the resumption of private-sector shipping routes, when a container vessel travelled from Karachi to Chattogram for the first time in decades.
Dar’s upcoming visit is widely viewed by analysts as a potential turning point, paving the way for broader strategic cooperation, enhanced connectivity, and increased people-to-people contact between the two South Asian nations.
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