DHAKA/ISLAMABAD: In a significant step toward normalizing diplomatic ties, Pakistan and Bangladesh resumed bilateral Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on Thursday, marking the first such engagement in 15 years.
The consultations are being held in Dhaka, with both sides aiming to enhance dialogue, regional cooperation, and bilateral engagement. The foreign secretaries of the two countries are leading their respective delegations in the renewed talks.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday for a two-day visit to participate in the FOC. She is representing Islamabad in the talks, while Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin is leading the Dhaka delegation. The consultations are taking place at the State Guest House Padma.
Discussions are expected to focus on matters of mutual interest, including the regional security situation, and strategies to boost cooperation across various sectors.
Following the FOC, Amna Baloch is scheduled to meet Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain. She will also attend a roundtable with local think tanks and members of the Pakistani diaspora in Dhaka later in the evening.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also expected to visit Bangladesh in the last week of April, a move seen as further evidence of warming ties.
Diplomatic relations between the two nations have been on an upward trajectory since the change in Bangladesh’s political leadership in August last year. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Adviser Yunus have already met twice — once on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September and again during the D-8 summit in Cairo in December.
Bangladesh has since relaxed visa rules for Pakistani nationals and launched direct shipping links, reflecting a mutual interest in rebuilding trust and deepening cooperation.
