Pakistani PM welcomes revival of bilateral mechanisms with Bangladesh, calls for sustaining momentum
The meeting with Md. Iqbal Hussain Khan comes amid a remarkable realignment in South Asia's geopolitics. Since the fall of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024 and her subsequent flight to India, Dhaka's traditionally close relationship with New Delhi has grown strained. The shift has created an opening for Pakistan and Bangladesh — once a single nation until the bloody 1971 war of independence — to move past decades of frosty ties.
'He expressed satisfaction at the revival of various bilateral mechanisms between the two sides,' the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, quoting Sharif. 'He stressed upon the importance of maintaining this momentum to carry forward their bilateral ties.'
Sharif also recalled his 'warm and productive' interactions with Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus, most recently at the D-8 summit in Cairo last December, and said Pakistan was keen to expand cooperation in political, economic and cultural spheres while enhancing trade and people-to-people contacts.
The High Commissioner, according to the PMO, briefed Sharif on steps being taken by both countries to facilitate travel, trade and connectivity, and expressed his desire to continue working to 'further strengthen the historic bonds of friendship.'
Sharif wished the envoy success in his assignment and expressed confidence that his tenure would 'witness positive developments' in the bilateral relationship.
The outreach reflects what experts widely describe as an unprecedented attempt at rebuilding ties more than half a century after Bangladesh's independence, since which relations between Islamabad and Dhaka were largely defined by mistrust and India's dominant role in the region.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Three-member panel to probe Pakistani journalist Khawar Hussain's death in Sindh's Sanghar
KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan's Sindh province have set up a three-member committee to probe journalist Khawar Hussain's death in the Sanghar district under mysterious circumstances, police said on Sunday. Hussain's body was recovered from his hometown of Sanghar outside a local restaurant on Hyderabad Road on Saturday night, according to police officials. The journalist sustained a gunshot wound to his head. Police said the death appeared to be a suicide after they found a pistol clutched in Hussain's hand at the site of the incident, local media reported. But the claim was widely rejected by Hussain's friends and associates on social media. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered a probe into the death, after which DIG Crime and Investigation Wing Amir Farooqi notified a three-member investigation committee on Sunday evening. 'The committee will do preliminary investigation and ascertain facts from all angles,' read a notification issued from Farooqi's office. 'The complete report into the incident may be finalized in two days.' The probe panel is headed by Azad Khan, additional inspector general of the Sindh counter-terrorism department (CTD), with DIG Karachi West Irfan Baloch and Sanghar SSP Abid Baloch as members. Hussain was a Karachi-based correspondent for Dawn News. The news of his death drew condemnations from the Karachi Press Club and senior members of the Sindh government. 'Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the unnatural death of senior journalist Khawar Hussain in Sanghar,' a statement from Shah's office said on Saturday. 'The chief minister has sought a report from the inspector general of police. The real cause of death must be determined through investigation.' On Sunday, DIG Faisal Bashir Memon told Arab News the pistol clutched in Hussain's hand at the time of his death belongs to the journalist who had been keeping it for personal safety. 'He parked his car and went to the restroom twice. According to the CCTV footage, he was alone. Khawar asked the hotel manager about the restroom, then returned to his car and sat inside. He stepped out of the car again and asked the watchman about the restroom. He went toward the restroom once more and then came back and sat in the car again,' Memon told Arab News. 'The CCTV camera was installed on the other side of the driver's seat, and no one else was seen in the footage. The hotel manager later told the watchman to check if Khawar wanted to order something as he had been sitting [inside his car there] for quite a while. When the watchman went to the car, Khawar's body was found inside with a gunshot wound.' Police were awaiting the post-mortem report and the journalist's call data record (CDR) as they intended to probe the death from both murder and suicide angles, according to DIG Memon. As per a report released by the Pakistan-based media and development sector watchdog Freedom Network last year, 184 incidents of violence against journalists took place in Sindh between 2018 and 2023. These included the killings of 10 journalists in the province.
Arab News
10 hours ago
- Arab News
FIFA reaffirms PFF as Pakistan football governing body amid administrative challenges
ISLAMABAD: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), in an official letter, has reaffirmed the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) as the sole governing body of football in Pakistan, the PFF said on Sunday, amid administrative challenges relating to the sport in the South Asian country. Pakistan and FIFA share a complex yet evolving relationship, shaped by ongoing efforts to develop football infrastructure and promote the sport in the country. Pakistan has faced repeated administrative challenges and international suspensions, largely due to government interference in football affairs. In 2019, FIFA appointed a normalization committee to restore order within the PFF and facilitate the holding of democratic elections. FIFA suspended the PFF in Feb. this year after its elected congress rejected constitutional amendments proposed by the global body but the ban was reversed in March after PFF accepted the amendments. 'We would like to hereby confirm that the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), currently led by Mohsen Gilani as its elected president, is a recognized member of FIFIA since 1948,' FIFA said in its letter shared on the PFF's Instagram handle. 'Accordingly, PFF, who is an active member of FIFA, is the governing body of football in Pakistan.' The development comes nearly two months after Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss football's growing popularity in Pakistan and the potential that the sport has in the South Asian nation. Football in Pakistan has long existed in the shadow of cricket. However, the sport has been growing popular over the years, particularly among the youth, who form a passionate fan base in urban centers. 'Had an excellent meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino,' Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said on X following his meeting with Infantino during a trip to the US. 'We discussed the immense potential of sports in Pakistan — especially the growing popularity of football following cricket,' he added. Last month, the PFF announced it had appointed former Newcastle legend Nolberto Solano as the new head coach of the national men's and under-23 team. Solano, a former international footballer who has played 95 matches for Peru, was a prominent English Premier League footballer who also played for high-profile teams such as Newcastle United and Aston Villa during his football career. He replaced Stephen Constantine, a seasoned football coach, who had been affiliated with Pakistan from September 2023 till October 2024. 'Nolberto Solano, legendary Peruvian international and former Premier League star, has officially been appointed as the Head Coach of Senior Men's National and U23 Team,' the PFF said. The federation said it had also hired Jorge Castañeira, describing him as a 'globally respected performance and fitness coach,' to serve as associate fitness coach for the senior men's national team. 'With over 30 years of elite-level experience, Jorge has worked across continents with top national teams and clubs,' the PFF said. PFF President Gilani said both new hirings would help Pakistan build a 'strong and professional future' for football in the country. 'With Solano and Castañeira joining us, we will give our players better facilities,' Gilani added.
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan to create digital IDs of citizens in economic transformation push
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will develop digital identities of all its citizens to enable secure and efficient payments, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, amid the Islamabad's push for economic transformation. The report comes weeks after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed provincial governments to fully cooperate with the center to move the country toward a 'cashless' system as the central government aims to digitize the economy for greater transparency. Pakistan is a cash-dominated market where a significant portion of transactions, particularly in the informal sector, are conducted in cash. In recent years, the country's central bank has taken steps to ensure a transition toward a more cashless economy so that transactions are more traceable, reducing chances of tax evasion and corruption. Pakistan's digital payments have also been on the rise. Since its 2021 launch, the central bank's Raast system has processed over 892 million transactions worth Rs20 trillion ($72 billion) as of July 2025. On Sunday, PM Sharif presided over a review meeting in Islamabad on cashless economy, at which he directed provincial chief secretaries to fully cooperate with the federal government in expanding the Raast digital payment system to the district level. 'The meeting was briefed that Pakistan will develop digital public infrastructure to create digital IDs for every citizen, integrating national Identity Cards, biometrics, and mobile numbers,' the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported. 'These digital IDs will enable secure and efficient payments. It was further said that the provincial governments have shown significant progress in linking government-to-public and public-to-government payments with the Raast system.' Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, has a vast informal economy and low tax compliance. The government has long identified digitization as a key tool to improve governance, reduce corruption and expand the country's narrow tax base. The government has set an ambitious tax collection target of Rs14,131 billion ($49.46 billion) for the fiscal year 2025-26 (FY26), reflecting a nine-percent increase over last year's goal. Last month, Pakistan launched the Merchant Onboarding Framework that requires banks and payment providers to equip all merchants with Raast-enabled digital payment tools such as QR codes and POS [Point of Sale] systems. In May, the government also approved setting up the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority to regulate blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Speaking at Sunday's meeting, Sharif said his government was working on a priority basis to digitize the economy and transform financial transactions to cashless and digital system. 'Federal development agencies have granted Right of Way for fiber connectivity, while discussions are ongoing with Pakistan Railways and the National Highway Authority to expand digital infrastructure,' the report said, citing officials at the meeting.
