Latest news with #HasinaWajid
Business Recorder
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Trade team will be sent to Bangladesh after Eid-ul-Azha
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is to despatch a trade delegation to Bangladesh after Eid-ul-Azha aimed at strengthening economic relations with Dhaka as both countries are inching towards close relations after the fall of Hasina Wajid's regime. In this regard, a delegation from the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by Secretary General Zulfiqar Butt and comprising Women Chamber Chairperson Hina Mansab called on Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan on Tuesday to discuss regional trade cooperation, particularly with Bangladesh. Rana Ihsaan Afzaal Coordinator to PM on Commerce and Senior Officials of the ministry were also present in the meeting. The sources said High Commissioner of Pakistan to Dhaka revealed that the current Government in Bangladesh holds significant goodwill for Pakistan. Parties across the spectrum are very positive towards Pakistan. Therefore, the necessity to hold the JEC at the earliest is paramount. He also informed of his meetings with advisor of commerce and secretary commerce. The Bangladesh side is currently working on firm dates and the agenda for the JEC to be held in Dhaka. Last week, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary visited Dhaka and held discussions at the highest level. Pakistan, Bangladesh resume direct trade after more than 50 years High Commissioner was directed to hold meetings with the relevant officers in Dhaka to develop the data on import industries and areas of convergence with BD. Data has been shared with the FPCCI which is developing detailed presentation on Pakistan's export strategy including areas of convergence and relevant industries (food, IT, textile and others) to be shared in the IMM. Pakistani Mission had also shared its recommendation with Islamabad on proposal regarding reactivation of the JBC. An MoU will be signed between Pakistan's Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh during the JEC. Ministry of Science and Technology has shared draft MoU on standards and texting with MoFA for its renewal. Maritime Affairs has shared updated information on the contract of affreightment (shared in 2021) with MoFA for taking up with the BD side. MoMA has also shared proposals on shipping exchange with Bangladesh. On the issue of trade imbalance/SAFTA/FTA, Commerce Ministry has shared the composition, ToRs and concept note for the proposed JWG on Trade & Investment with MoFA for discussion with BD side. Commerce has prepared/provided fresh proposals/recommendations with respect to FTA and SAFTA with BD side. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Trade team will be sent to Bangladesh after Eidul Azha
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is to despatch a trade delegation to Bangladesh after Eid-ul-Azha aimed at strengthening economic relations with Dhaka as both countries are inching towards close relations after the fall of Hasina Wajid's regime. In this regard, a delegation from the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by Secretary General Zulfiqar Butt and comprising Women Chamber Chairperson Hina Mansab called on Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan on Tuesday to discuss regional trade cooperation, particularly with Bangladesh. Rana Ihsaan Afzaal Coordinator to PM on Commerce and Senior Officials of the ministry were also present in the meeting. The sources said High Commissioner of Pakistan to Dhaka revealed that the current Government in Bangladesh holds significant goodwill for Pakistan. Parties across the spectrum are very positive towards Pakistan. Therefore, the necessity to hold the JEC at the earliest is paramount. He also informed of his meetings with advisor of commerce and secretary commerce. The Bangladesh side is currently working on firm dates and the agenda for the JEC to be held in Dhaka. Last week, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary visited Dhaka and held discussions at the highest level. Pakistan, Bangladesh resume direct trade after more than 50 years High Commissioner was directed to hold meetings with the relevant officers in Dhaka to develop the data on import industries and areas of convergence with BD. Data has been shared with the FPCCI which is developing detailed presentation on Pakistan's export strategy including areas of convergence and relevant industries (food, IT, textile and others) to be shared in the IMM. Pakistani Mission had also shared its recommendation with Islamabad on proposal regarding reactivation of the JBC. An MoU will be signed between Pakistan's Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh during the JEC. Ministry of Science and Technology has shared draft MoU on standards and texting with MoFA for its renewal. Maritime Affairs has shared updated information on the contract of affreightment (shared in 2021) with MoFA for taking up with the BD side. MoMA has also shared proposals on shipping exchange with Bangladesh. On the issue of trade imbalance/SAFTA/FTA, Commerce Ministry has shared the composition, ToRs and concept note for the proposed JWG on Trade & Investment with MoFA for discussion with BD side. Commerce has prepared/provided fresh proposals/recommendations with respect to FTA and SAFTA with BD side. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Arab News
17-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan and Bangladesh hold first Foreign Office Consultations in 15 years — media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh started their first Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in 15 years on Thursday, according to a media report from a Dhaka-based newspaper, signaling a thaw in relations long strained by historical grievances and regional alignments. The meeting in Dhaka comes amid significant political shifts in Bangladesh following the ouster of its pro-India Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid in the wake of a popular student uprising in August last year. Her departure opened avenues for Islamabad to reengage with Dhaka. The two nations have shared a tumultuous history, as Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. The complicated past between the two countries has often hampered their diplomatic relations, though recent developments, including Bangladesh's interim government's outreach to Pakistan and cooling ties with India, suggest a recalibration of regional partnerships. 'The Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Pakistan started in Dhaka this morning (17 April), marking the first such meeting since 2010,' the Business Standard, a prominent English-language daily published from Dhaka, reported. 'Foreign Secretary [Muhammad] Jashim Uddin and Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch are leading their respective sides at the FOC being held at the foreign ministry,' it continued. The consultations are expected to pave the way for a visit by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Bangladesh later this month, which would mark the first such visit by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012. While Pakistani authorities have not yet issued a statement regarding Baloch's visit, the renewed diplomatic engagement highlights a mutual interest in strengthening bilateral ties. In recent months, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus have met on the sidelines of international forums, including the United Nations General Assembly in New York and the D-8 Summit in Cairo. These interactions have been described as cordial, with both leaders expressing a desire to deepen bilateral cooperation. Yunus has also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangkok, where discussions included Bangladesh's request for the extradition of ex-premier Wajid, who has gone into exile in India and issued multiple anti-government statements against Yunus's interim administration.
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Recognising past injustices is no favour, it's a responsibility
Listen to article As a Pakistani Bihari feminist, I am still drawing parallels between the targeted, brutal killings of poor Punjabis in present-day Pakistan and the targeted, ethnic cleansing of Biharis in former East Pakistan. The 2024 shift in Bangladesh, where the pro-Indian and anti-Pakistan government of Sheikh Hasina Wajid was ousted, appears to be a divine intervention, aligning with the students' movement. As I reflect on media narratives and political puppeteering, I wonder: why does justice remain so blurry for Biharis? Why is there no one among the mighty ones to assert my community's case — for their repatriation to Pakistan, their equal citizenship rights in Bangladesh, the return of their properties, the restoration of their dignity, or at least some signs of remorse from the elites of both countries? We have been consistently dismissed as irrelevant stakeholders — whether in past agreements aimed at normalising relations or in the recent overenthusiasm to establish excellent camaraderie. I have long lamented the media's cleverly shifted gaze and the politicians' impotence in this regard. But today, I genuinely want to know: why are our renowned and eminent scholars - experts in regional Studies - so utterly devoid of common sense and a human rights perspective? Many of them have traveled to foreign lands, including Bangladesh, on various fellowships and exchange programmes, and now they are once again promoting similar over-simplistic models for establishing "normal" ties with Bangladesh. Why do they fail to grasp the human melancholy of recent history? Interventions such as carefully curated movies, music melas, military alliances, sudden sisterhood seasons and media engagement are not the magic mantra here. If this recipe had worked, India would have been our best friend. People cannot be fooled; they know their choices. Somehow, political leaders and their handlers treat people like pieces in a chess game. Most disgusting among them are those who masquerade as subject matter experts in such situations. The audacity of many Pakistani IR and defence experts who shamelessly argue that acknowledging the Bihari issue would "complicate" relations with Dhaka is worth mourning. Is the propensity of many Pakistani experts in IR, defence studies and policy analysis to ignore the plight of stranded Biharis in Bangladesh while advocating for stronger Pakistan-Bangladesh bonds merely an oversight, or is it a deliberate destruction of an inconvenient truth? I have stated my protests and discomfort through my writings and podcasts, highlighting the abrupt emergence of so-called experts on Bangladesh and their noticeable exclusion of the Biharis and other non-Bengali Urdu speakers, who continue to subsist in the ghettos of Bangladesh. As expected, my concerns were conveniently ignored. And, as always, I received my due share of contempt. The messages I receive not only disrespect my entire community but celebrate our plight. These dispatches do not just come from unknown sources; they originate from intellectuals, reformists, liberals and feminists - people otherwise revered as promoters of peace, tolerance and coexistence. We are not only despised by nationalists but also omitted by well-settled Biharis and Urdu speakers, particularly in Karachi. I do not wish to undermine the works of the few good people within Pakistan or in the diaspora, but the bitter truth remains: our own community did not play the role it could have. Maybe the burdens of trauma and survival struggles have compelled them to distance themselves from the miseries of those who are 1000 miles away from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. All of this was enough to remind me - yet again - of what I have always known but still struggled to accept: the sustained, unholy and criminal elitist consensus and hypocrisy within these so-called champions of rightness. The Pakistani Biharis of East Pakistan have been expunged from official histories, their struggle tempered in media reports and their fate forgotten in official discourse. But we exist. And we refuse to be silent. The art of selective amnesia defines the politics of South Asia. History, when narrated by the victors, effortlessly confiscates challenging truths. Fifty-three years after 1971, my community remains a footnote in the majestic stories of Bangladesh, Pakistan and global bosses of human rights. Since August 5, 2024, I have read dozens of columns and blogs and followed social media discussions on 1971 and traumatic "past". For us trauma is still in the present. What I have gathered is a collection of exclusionary and inaccurate narratives. Many think pieces have successfully snubbed the full historical context — particularly the human rights violations faced by pro-Pakistani Biharis and non-Bengali Urdu speakers, from the beginning of the language movement around 1948, to their enforced statelessness in Bangladesh since 1971. This obliviousness prevents a thorough understanding of the bilateral relationship. Such writings, along with numerous podcasts, expose a clear-cut bias — focusing solely on recent positive developments in Pakistan-Bangladesh contacts while limiting or entirely ditching unresolved injuries, especially the quandary of stateless populations. By failing to initiate an all-inclusive meaningful dialogue about the rights and citizenship status of stranded Biharis, these influencers deliberately evade an opportunity to resolve long standing humanitarian issues. My plea to these professors and scholar-warriors is straightforward: revisit your intellectual honesty and re-evaluate your positions on this complex spectrum of issues. Empathy is a skill - it can be learned and integrated into your perspectives. As someone deeply connected to both her community and humanity at the grassroots level, I know one fundamental fact: any reconciliation without truth is illegitimate and hollow. The continued erasure of the Bihari question by so-called experts will only jeopardise efforts to build a Pakistan-Bangladesh relationship on firm foundations. This disingenuous approach will crumble under the weight of unresolved historical injustices. Instead of chasing the illusion of "excellent friendship" and pleasing certain quarters by sidestepping embarrassing truths, it is time for an intellectually and morally daring approach - one that embraces the whole historical truth, no matter how painful it may be. For powerless activists and advocates, the only hope lies in narratives that acknowledge both progress and persistence, pressing both governments to address historical wrongs and ensure equitable treatment for all communities affected by past atrocities.
Express Tribune
22-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pakistan, Bangladesh trade reopens
Pakistan sent first batch of quality rice to Dhaka as direct trade between the nations has been resumed. PHOTO: FILE In a major development, direct trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh has resumed after five decades, with the first government-to-government cargo departing from Port Qasim on Saturday. The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) bulk carrier MV Sibi is transporting 26,000 tons of rice to Bangladesh and is scheduled to arrive in Chittagong on March 4. The transportation of the goods marked the first instance of official trade relations being restored since the fall of Dhaka in 1971. Under a deal finalised in early February, Bangladesh is set to import 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). The shipment will be completed in two phases, with the remaining 25,000 tons to be dispatched in early March. It is pertinent to note that after Sheikh Hasina Wajid's ouster last year, relations with Bangladesh saw a thaw with high-level exchanges between the two nations taking place. The interim government in Bangladesh extended an olive branch, to which Pakistan responded positively.
