ISLAMABAD: The Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad said on Wednesday Dhaka had not stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis, following media reports of a fresh diplomatic spat between the two countries over the pending visa extension application of a Bangladeshi diplomat.
Media reported this week that the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad had stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis in the last one week to protest the visa application of a Bangladeshi diplomat not getting clearance from the Pakistan government for the last four months.
According to The Daily Star newspaper, Muhammad Iqbal Hossain, Counsellor (Press) at the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad, had submitted a visa extension application to Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry in January, which was subsequently sent to the Pakistani Interior Ministry. The application has still not been cleared, the newspaper reported.
“Bangladesh has not stopped visas to Pakistani nationals,” the Bangladesh high commission told Arab News in a written response to questions. “There has been no visa officer at Bangladesh Mission in Islamabad since November 2018. Counsellor (Press) was doing additional duty of visa officer on temporary basis.”
Due to a shortage of staff at the Islamabad office, the issuance of visas had become particularly difficult over the last one week, the high commission said.
“Now under order transfer to Dhaka, Counsellor (Press) is leaving Islamabad soon and passing preparation time,” the embassy’s statement said. “Issuance of visa has become extremely difficult due to absence of any officer at the visa section of Islamabad Mission.”
“Bangladesh Mission in Karachi continues to issue visas,” the embassy added.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also told reporters on Tuesday Bangladesh had not halted visas for Pakistanis.
“We have not stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis, but delays could happen in some cases which are common worldwide,” he said during a press conference.
Momen said the High Commission in Islamabad was going through staff shortage issues, which were affecting visa processing, adding that Pakistani authorities were delaying issuing a visa for Bangladesh’s newly appointed visa councilor in Islamabad.
East Pakistan broke away to become independent Bangladesh after a war between India and Pakistan in 1971. About three million people were killed and ties between Dhaka and Islamabad have been strained since.
Relations became particularly tense in 2013 after Dhaka executed two opposition leaders for war crimes committed during the 1971 war to break away from Pakistan. Islamabad maintains the trials were flawed.
No block on visas for Pakistanis, says Dhaka high commission
No block on visas for Pakistanis, says Dhaka high commission
- Says shortage of staff at embassy’s visa section made issuing visas “extremely difficult” in the last week
- Bangladesh Mission in Karachi continues to issue visas, high commission adds
Pakistan reports current account surplus in Jan. owing to improved trade, remittances
- Pakistan’s exports crossed the $3 billion mark in Jan. as the country received $3.5 billion in remittances
- Last month, IMF urged Pakistan to accelerate pace of structural reforms to strengthen economic growth
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of more than $120 million in January, the country’s finance adviser said on Tuesday, attributing it to improved trade balance and remittance inflows.
Pakistan’s exports rebounded in January 2026 after five months of weak performance, rising 3.73 percent year on year and surging 34.96 percent month on month, according to data released by the country’s statistics bureau.
Exports crossed the $3 billion mark for the first time in January to reach $3.061 billion, compared to $2.27 billion in Dec. 2025. The country received $3.5 billion in foreign remittances in Jan. 2026.
Khurram Schehzad, an adviser to the finance minister, said Pakistan reported a current account surplus of $121 million in Jan., compared to a current account deficit of $393 million in the same month last year.
“Improved trade balance in January 2026, strong remittance inflows, and sustained momentum in services exports (IT/Tech) continue to reinforce the country’s external account position,” he said on X.
Pakistan has undergone a difficult period of stabilization, marked by inflation, currency depreciation and financing gaps, and international rating agencies have acknowledged improvements after Islamabad began implementing reforms such as privatizing loss-making, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and ending subsidies as part of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.
Late last month, the IMF urged Pakistan to accelerate the pace of these structural reforms to strengthen economic growth.
Responding to questions from Arab News at a virtual media roundtable on emerging markets’ resilience, IMF’s director of the Middle East and Central Asia Jihad Azour said Islamabad’s implementation of the IMF requirements had been “strong” despite devastating floods that killed more than 1,000 people and devastated farmland, forcing the government to revise its 4.2 percent growth target to 3.9 percent.
“What is important going forward in order to strengthen growth and to maintain the level of macroeconomic stability is to accelerate the structural reforms,” he said at the meeting.
Azour underlined Pakistan’s plans to privatize some of the SOEs and improve financial management of important public entities, particularly power companies, as an important way for the country to boost its capacity to cater to the economy for additional exports.
“This comes in addition to the effort that the authorities have made in order to reform their tariffs, which will allow the private sector of Pakistan to become more competitive,” the IMF official said.
