Islamabad: The basic structure of the Pakistan-Arab Federation — a non-government body aimed at improving Pakistan’s relations with Islamic countries, enhancing people-to-people contact and promoting cooperation in various fields — would be ready within two weeks, the Pakistani prime minister’s special adviser on religious harmony and the Middle East, Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, said on Thursday.
Last month, Ashrafi said Pakistan had started work on setting up the “autonomous, non-government” Pakistan-Arab Federation in pursuance of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policy to improve economic and strategic ties with Arab countries. In October last year, the government founded a specialized research center on the Middle East at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.
“This initiative will be at the non-governmental level to improve ties with Arab Islamic countries at the public level,” Ashrafi told Arab News. “The purpose of this is to strengthen people-to-people contact between Pakistan and Arab countries. We want businessmen, religious scholars and intellectuals to meet with each other at different levels and play their role in improving ties.”
Ashrafi said the Pakistani government had discussed the idea of the federation with Arab diplomats in Pakistan as well as prominent figures in Arab countries: “Their response to this initiative is quite encouraging.”
He added: “Pak-Arab Federation will help strengthen economic, cultural and tourism-related cooperation.”
In an interview last month, Ashrafi said the forum would be an “autonomous non-governmental federation comprising businessmen, chambers of commerce, religious scholars, intellectuals, academicians, journalists and other professional bodies.”
The federation would also serve as an advisory body for the Pakistani government to help it boost Pakistan’s image in Arab countries, Ashrafi had said.
“This federation will also work as a crisis management forum to remove misconception which can hamper bilateral relations of Pakistan with any of the Arab countries,” he said, adding that it would act as a “back-channel diplomacy forum” to help to quickly resolve important issues through people-to-people contact.
The federation will also help Pakistan connect with the more than five million Pakistanis living in Arab countries, Ashrafi said, and “will work to facilitate our Arab brothers to improve their people-to-people contact with Pakistan.”
Basic structure of Pak-Arab Federation to be ready in two weeks — PM aide
https://arab.news/pj346
Basic structure of Pak-Arab Federation to be ready in two weeks — PM aide
- Federation will function as a non-government body comprising representatives of Pakistan and all major Arab nations
- Will promote people-to-people contact, help connect with more than five million Pakistanis living in Arab countries, Tahir Ashrafi says
Pakistan, Bangladesh vow to strengthen ties, expand cooperation across diverse sectors
- Pakistan FM, Bangladesh’s Khalil ur Rahman promise a ‘forward-looking partnership,’ cooperation at multilateral fora
- Both nations have begun sea trade, resumed direct flights and strengthened institutional linkages amid thaw in ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation across a range of sectors, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Sunday, amid a thaw in ties between the two countries.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until Bangladesh’s secession following a bloody civil war in 1971, an event that long cast a shadow over bilateral ties.
Both countries have moved closer since 2024, following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who was considered an India ally as Dhaka-New Delhi ties remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to her.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr. Khalil-ur-Rahman and congratulated him on his appointment, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.
“Both leaders expressed desire to further strengthening bilateral ties, with a shared vision of peace, stability, and prosperity,” the Pakistani ministry said.
“They also agreed to expand cooperation across diverse sectors and in multilateral fora, building a forward-looking partnership for the peoples of Pakistan and Bangladesh.”
The two South Asian nations began sea trade in late 2024, which were followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce. Last month, national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines landed in the Pakistani port city of Karachi for the first regular flight since 2012.
Amid growing institutional linkages between the two nations, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif last week said he hoped to further strengthen relations with Bangladesh as Tarique Rahman took oath as the country’s new premier.
Pakistani Planning Miniter Ahsan Iqbal also called on PM Tarique after his oath-taking ceremony in Dhaka and conveyed warm congratulations on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan on his election, according to the Pakistani information ministry.
“Iqbal conveyed a formal invitation from the prime minister of Pakistan to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date,” the ministry said.
