ISLAMABAD: A landmark agreement to establish a joint business council was signed with Bangladesh on Tuesday, marking a “milestone” in efforts to enhance trade and economic cooperation between between the two states, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said.
Both countries share a complicated history, having once been a single entity known as East and West Pakistan until Bangladesh gained independence in 1971 following a war of liberation backed by India, Pakistan’s arch-rival.
Relations reached a new low in 2016 when Bangladesh executed several Jamaat-e-Islami leaders for alleged war crimes during the 1971 conflict, a move Pakistan condemned as “politically motivated,” saying the executions targeted individuals with a pro-Pakistan stance during the war.
Ties have warmed in recent months after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted last year following violent student-led protests. Her subsequent flight to India strained Dhaka’s relations with New Delhi, with Dhaka repeatedly demanding her extradition.
“The establishment of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Business Council is a milestone for trade relations between the two countries,” FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said after signing an agreement to that effect with representatives of the Administrative Federation of the Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce.
During the visit, the FPCCI chief led a Pakistani business delegation that held meetings with their counterparts in Bangladesh to discuss ways to enhance trade ties.
Speaking at a business forum hosted by the Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he also praised Bangladesh as a major economic power in South Asia.
“Strengthening trade relations requires mutual cooperation between the business communities of both nations,” Sheikh said, emphasizing the need to address key issues such as air connectivity, visa facilitation and prioritizing trade partnerships.
“There are vast opportunities for collaboration in agriculture, education, textiles and other sectors. The large populations of both countries should not be seen as a challenge but as an opportunity to drive economic growth,” he added.
Sheikh also reiterated his commitment to keeping the council active and fostering stronger links between the business communities of both nations.
The Trade Corporation of Pakistan also signed a memorandum of understanding for rice export to Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is also scheduled to visit Dhaka in the beginning of February to further consolidate the relations between the two countries.
Pakistan and Bangladesh establish business council in ‘milestone’ agreement
https://arab.news/pspk8
Pakistan and Bangladesh establish business council in ‘milestone’ agreement
- FPCCI chief says strengthening trade relations requires cooperation between both business communities
- Pakistan’s deputy PM is also scheduled to visit Dhaka next month to further consolidate bilateral ties
Tens of thousands flee northwest Pakistan over fears of military operation
- More than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled remote Tirah region bordering Afghanistan
- Government says no military operation underway or planned in Tirah, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
BARA, Pakistan: More than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled a remote region in northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan over uncertainty of a military operation against the Pakistani Taliban, residents and officials said Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has denied the claim by residents and provincial authorities. He said no military operation was underway or planned in Tirah, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, he said harsh weather, rather than military action, was driving the migration. His comments came weeks after residents started fleeing Tirah over fears of a possible army operation.
The exodus began a month after mosque loudspeakers urged residents to leave Tirah by Jan. 23 to avoid potential fighting. Last August, Pakistan launched a military operation against Pakistani Taliban in the Bajau r district in the northwest, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Shafi Jan, a spokesman for the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, posted on X that he held the federal government responsible for the ordeal of the displaced people, saying authorities in Islamabad were retracting their earlier position about the military operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, whose party is led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has criticized the military and said his government will not allow troops to launch a full-scale operation in Tirah.
The military says it will continue intelligence-based operations against Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Though a separate group, it has been emboldened since the Afghan
Taliban returned to power in 2021. Authorities say many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan and that hundreds of them have crossed into Tirah, often using residents as human shields when militant hideouts are raided.
Caught in the middle are the residents of Tirah, who continued arriving in Bara.
So far, local authorities have registered roughly 10,000 families — about 70,000 people — from Tirah, which has a population of around 150,000, said Talha Rafiq Alam, a local government administrator overseeing the relief effort. He said the registration deadline, originally set for Jan. 23, has been extended to Feb. 5.
He said the displaced would be able to return once the law-and-order situation improves.
Among those arriving in Bara and nearby towns was 35-year-old Zar Badshah, who said he left with his wife and four children after the authorities ordered an evacuation. He said mortar shells had exploded in villages in recent weeks, killing a woman and wounding four children in his village. “Community elders told us to leave. They instructed us to evacuate to safer places,” he said.
At a government school in Bara, hundreds of displaced lined up outside registration centers, waiting to be enrolled to receive government assistance. Many complained the process was slow.
Narendra Singh, 27, said members of the minority Sikh community also fled Tirah after food shortages worsened, exacerbated by heavy snowfall and uncertain security.
“There was a severe shortage of food items in Tirah, and that forced us to leave,” he said.
Tirah gained national attention in September, after an explosion at a compound allegedly used to store bomb-making materials killed at least 24 people. Authorities said most of the dead were militants linked to the TTP, though local leaders disputed that account, saying civilians, including women and children, were among the dead.
