Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Ahmed Siddiqui called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in Dhaka on Thursday. During the meeting, both sides discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and decided to strengthen them.
“The two sides agreed to further strengthen the existing fraternal relations between the two countries,” said a statement from Pakistan’s High Commission in Dhaka.
The statement revealed that High Commissioner Siddiqui conveyed the message of friendship and goodwill from Prime Minister Imran Khan to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. PM Hasina is said to have reciprocated the message and extended good wishes towards the leadership in Pakistan.
“The High Commissioner informed Prime Minister H.E. Sheikh Hasina that the government and the people of Pakistan held the Bangladeshi leadership and people in high esteem and affection. The prime minister expressed good wishes for the people of Pakistan,” said the statement.
Pakistan’s relations with Bangladesh have witnessed considerable improvement this year. In his first telephonic conversation with his Bangladeshi counterpart in July, Prime Minister Imran Khan had expressed his wishes to improve ties with the neigbouring state.
“Pakistan is committed to deepening fraternal relations with Bangladesh on the basis of mutual trust, mutual respect and sovereign equality,” the Prime Minister said in July.
The telephonic contact earlier in the year was a result of Pakistani efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Bangladesh. These efforts were amplified with the appointment in February of Imran Ahmed Siqqiqui as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Dhaka. Since then, the High Commissioner has engaged in dedicated efforts to cordially engage with Bangladeshi leadership and improve diplomatic relations.
In July, High Commissioner Siddiqui also met with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen.
The latest meeting between the Pakistani High Commissioner and the Bangladeshi Prime Minister points towards increasing cordiality between the two statess, which had harboured a tense relationship since Sheikh Hasina started her second term of premiership in 2009.
The strengthening of ties between the neighbouring Muslim states offers an optimistic view of Pakistan’s diplomatic politics, and promises peace and stability in the region.
