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 urges revival of long-paralyzed SAARC as bloc marks 40th charter anniversary
- PM Sharif says political rifts have stalled regional collaboration, calls for economic and digital connectivity
- He mentions regional challenges requiring collective responses based on mutual trust, spirit of cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for reviving the long-paralyzed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), saying deeper economic collaboration and collective responses to shared challenges were essential as the bloc marked the 40th anniversary of its founding charter.
SAARC has been effectively dysfunctional since 2016, when its planned Islamabad summit collapsed after India withdrew following a militant attack it blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied involvement, but New Delhi’s decision prompted Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan to pull out, leading to the indefinite postponement of the summit.
Beyond the immediate rupture, SAARC was widely believed to have already become stagnant because of structural issues, including the India-Pakistan rivalry and New Delhi’s pivot toward alternative regional groupings.
Sharif extended his greetings to the peoples and the governments of “all SAARC member states” in a statement circulated by his office.
“When SAARC was established, over four decades ago, it was meant to provide an essential platform, to promote dialogue, foster cooperation and strengthen the bonds that bring our nations together,” he said.
“While these goals have, regrettably, remained elusive due to political considerations within the region, I commend the SAARC Secretariat for striving hard to provide its dedicated assistance as well as for its efforts to advance the organization’s goals and create opportunities for meaningful collaboration among the member states,” he added.
The prime minister noted his administration remained committed to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter.
“We believe that genuine cooperation, guided by sovereign equality, mutual respect and constructive engagement, can unlock South Asia’s vast potential and ensure a better tomorrow for all,” he said.
Sharif maintained the region needed stronger economic, digital and people-to-people connectivity to expand trade, investment, innovation and cultural exchange, adding that South Asian states faced shared pressures from poverty, climate-induced natural disasters, food and energy insecurity and public-health vulnerabilities.
These, he continued, required “collective responses based on mutual trust, goodwill and a spirit of cooperation.”
His statement did not directly mention India, though last week, his deputy, Ishaq Dar, urged a “reimagining” of South Asia’s fractured regional architecture, saying an 11-year freeze in dialogue with New Delhi had eroded prospects for long-term stability in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Dar criticized the paralysis of SAARC, saying “artificial obstacles” needed to be removed for it to resume its role as a platform for economic cooperation, and argued the region would only achieve its political and economic potential if countries committed to cooperation and a future “where connectivity replaces divisions.”
