ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, with both sides agreeing to forge stronger ties and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields. 

Bitter relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have witnessed a thaw since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Aug. 5 as a result of a student-led uprising in the country that saw hundreds killed.

Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.

Sharif met Yunus at a ceremony hosted by the Bangladeshi leader to mark the completion of 50 years of Bangladesh’s membership in the United Nations, the Pakistani premier’s office said.

“The two leaders agreed to promote cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh in various fields,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. “There was a positive discussion regarding the expansion of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

Dr. Younis welcomed Sharif and his delegation, which included Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Education Minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and the prime minister’s aide Tariq Fatemi, the PMO said. 

Pakistan’s foreign office earlier this month said Islamabad seeks “robust, multifaceted relations, friendly relations” with Bangladesh to ensure peace and stability in the region. 

Sharif arrived in New York this week to engage with world leaders and present Pakistan’s stance on key global issues such as “terrorism,” Israel’s war on Gaza and the Kashmir dispute.