ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh started their first Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in 15 years on Thursday, according to a media report from a Dhaka-based newspaper, signaling a thaw in relations long strained by historical grievances and regional alignments.
The meeting in Dhaka comes amid significant political shifts in Bangladesh following the ouster of its pro-India Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid in the wake of a popular student uprising in August last year. Her departure opened avenues for Islamabad to reengage with Dhaka.
The two nations have shared a tumultuous history, as Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The complicated past between the two countries has often hampered their diplomatic relations, though recent developments, including Bangladesh’s interim government’s outreach to Pakistan and cooling ties with India, suggest a recalibration of regional partnerships.
“The Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Pakistan started in Dhaka this morning (17 April), marking the first such meeting since 2010,” the Business Standard, a prominent English-language daily published from Dhaka, reported.
“Foreign Secretary [Muhammad] Jashim Uddin and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch are leading their respective sides at the FOC being held at the foreign ministry,” it continued.
The consultations are expected to pave the way for a visit by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Bangladesh later this month, which would mark the first such visit by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012.
While Pakistani authorities have not yet issued a statement regarding Baloch’s visit, the renewed diplomatic engagement highlights a mutual interest in strengthening bilateral ties.
In recent months, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus have met on the sidelines of international forums, including the United Nations General Assembly in New York and the D-8 Summit in Cairo.
These interactions have been described as cordial, with both leaders expressing a desire to deepen bilateral cooperation.
Yunus has also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangkok, where discussions included Bangladesh’s request for the extradition of ex-premier Wajid, who has gone into exile in India and issued multiple anti-government statements against Yunus’s interim administration.
Pakistan and Bangladesh hold first Foreign Office Consultations in 15 years — media
https://arab.news/yy5vv
Pakistan and Bangladesh hold first Foreign Office Consultations in 15 years — media
- Media reports from Bangladesh say Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch is in Dhaka for talks
- The consultations are expected to pave the way for Pakistan’s deputy PM’s Dhaka visit later this month
Firefighter dies battling Pakistan mall blaze raising death toll to six
- The fire gutted several shops at Gul Plaza in Karachi’s Saddar business district late Saturday
- Police say an investigation into the cause of fire will be launched once the blaze is doused
ISLAMABAD: A firefighter was killed while battling a blaze at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, officials said on Sunday, raising the death toll from the incident to six.
The fire, which erupted at Gul Plaza in Karachi’s Saddar business district late Saturday, gutted several shops, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesman.
Television footage showed several fire trucks using ladders, water cannons and hoses to douse the building’s floors, where flames shot out of windows and balconies.
Around 20 injured persons were shifted to hospital, where a firefighter among six individuals succumbed to burn injuries.
“The entire team and machinery are busy extinguishing the fire,” Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said. “Firefighters are carrying out the rescue operation risking their own lives.”
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation would be launched once the blaze was extinguished. However, most structures in Karachi, and other parts of the country, lack fire prevention and firefighting systems, which often result in damages and casualties.
Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, where such incidents are common. In November 2023, a fire tore through a shopping mall in the city, killing 10 people and injuring 22 others.
Sindh Chief Minister directed the Karachi commissioner to probe the incident and submit an inquiry report.
“Fire safety arrangements in the building must be checked,” he said. “Action be taken against those responsible in case negligence or carelessness is proven.”
In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the Karachi fire incident, urging all necessary action to protect lives and property of people.
“Relevant agencies should work together in the rescue operation,” he said. “All possible assistance should be provided to the affected traders and other people.”
