In rare call, PM Khan invites Bangladesh counterpart to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday invited his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, to Islamabad as they discussed bilateral cooperation in a telephonic conversation, the premier’s office confirmed.
The invitation comes amid other diplomatic moves suggesting improving relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated his cordial invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit Pakistan,” the premier office’s said in a statement, adding that “Pakistan is committed to deepening fraternal relations with Bangladesh on the basis of mutual trust, mutual respect and sovereign equality.”
The two leaders also discussed coronavirus response and “their respective steps to deal with the myriad of challenges posed by COVID-19.”
The development is yet another one hinting at a thaw in Pakistani-Bangladeshi relations. 
A “quiet” meeting earlier this month between Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen has also raised hopes for improvement in bilateral ties.
The relationship has been tense since the 1971 war that led to Bangladesh’s separation from Pakistan.
It reached a new low in 2016 after Bangladesh executed several leaders of its Jamaat-e-Islami on charges of committing war crimes in 1971, in what Pakistan has called “politically motivated trials.”