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.”
In rare call, PM Khan invites Bangladesh counterpart to Pakistan
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In rare call, PM Khan invites Bangladesh counterpart to Pakistan
- The call comes amid other diplomatic developments suggesting improving relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Earlier this month, Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka met with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen
Portugal arrests dozens over hate crimes targeting Pakistanis among Muslim immigrants
- Portugal’s foreign-born population has boosted to around 15 percent of the total in recent years
- At the same time, the far right has been gaining in popularity with anti-immigrant messaging
LISBON: Portuguese police said on Tuesday they had detained dozens of suspected members of a group that spread neo-Nazi propaganda and committed hate crimes against immigrants.
The 37 suspects had “extensive criminal records and links to international groups that promote hate,” the judicial police said in a statement, adding that 15 people had been formally charged.
The victims were mostly immigrants from Muslim-majority countries in South Asia, according to local media.
The arrival of workers from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, has boosted Portugal’s foreign-born population in recent years to around 15 percent of the total.
At the same time, the far right has been gaining in popularity with anti-immigrant messaging.
The authorities said the suspects founded a hierarchical criminal organization to promote racial hatred and violence.
Those arrested are due in court on Wednesday, suspected of spreading “neo-Nazi ideas... to intimidate and persecute ethnic minorities, particularly immigrants.”
