Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, held a series of high-level political meetings in Dhaka on Saturday during his two-day official visit to Bangladesh, engaging with top leaders from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and National Citizen Party (NCP).
Dar had a meeting with a BNP delegation led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the Pakistan High Commission in Gulshan.
The meeting, held from 6:25 pm to 7:15 pm, took place in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, according to BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.
During the discussions, Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Bangladesh on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit, and shared regional interests. He highlighted the importance of regional cooperation, particularly acknowledging Bangladesh’s pivotal role in the formation of SAARC. Both sides also recalled past high-level engagements between the two nations, expressing hope for renewed diplomatic momentum.
The BNP delegation included senior party figures such as Standing Committee members Dr. Abdul Moin Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Selima Rahman, along with Vice Chairman and former Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and International Affairs Committee member Shama Obaid.
On the Pakistani side, the meeting was attended by Dar, current High Commissioner Imran Haider, former High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Tariq Bajwa, and senior foreign ministry officials including Foreign Office Directors General Ilyas Mahmud Nizami and Muhammad Umair Latif, Director Dildar Ali Abro, and Deputy Chief of Protocol Hafiz Ullah.
Earlier in the evening, Dar met with a delegation from the National Citizen Party (NCP), led by General Secretary Akhtar Hossain. According to a statement from the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, Dar commended the NCP’s vision for social justice and reform, underscoring the need for greater youth engagement between the two countries. Both sides also discussed ways to enhance cultural exchanges.
This was followed by a meeting with a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation headed by Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher. The talks focused on strengthening Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and recent regional developments. The Pakistani side praised the “courage and steadfastness” of Jamaat leaders and activists “in the face of hardships,” the ministry noted.
Dar arrived in Dhaka earlier on Saturday afternoon on a special flight and was received at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.
The visit underscores Pakistan’s efforts to deepen political and diplomatic outreach in South Asia, particularly with key political stakeholders in Bangladesh. Dar is also scheduled to meet former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence later in the trip.
The discussions mark a significant step toward revitalising bilateral engagement between the two nations, with both sides expressing optimism about future cooperation in political, economic, and cultural spheres.