ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh agreed to enhance high-level dialogue and strengthen strategic cooperation on Friday, as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Muhammad Touhid Hossain, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
Relations between the two countries have mostly remained uneasy since 1971, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan following a violent war. Tensions particularly deepened under the tenure of Sheikh Hasina Wajid, daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader. However, the downfall of her administration in a popular uprising this year has opened the door for improved cooperation, with both nations signaling a renewed focus on economic ties and diplomatic engagement.
“Deputy Prime Minister Dar and Adviser for Foreign Affairs Hossain agreed to advance high-level dialogue and cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh, particularly in the areas of trade, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people contacts,” Pakistan’s foreign office announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after the meeting.
“Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation at various multilateral fora,” it added.

Dar’s meeting with the Bangladeshi official comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s interaction with the top interim administration official in Dhaka, Muhammad Yunus, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
During this meeting, they discussed various aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged pleasantries, marking a notable diplomatic engagement between the two nations following the change of political dispensation in Bangladesh.