ISLAMABAD -UNS: Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch arrived in Dhaka to lead Pakistan’s delegation in the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), marking the first high-level diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and Bangladesh in 15 years.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, Baloch was received by Ishrat Jahan, Director General of the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry. She will participate in the FOC alongside her Bangladeshi counterpart, Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin.
The consultations, proposed by Islamabad, aim to revive and strengthen bilateral ties that had been stagnant for over a decade. All key bilateral matters are expected to be discussed, The Daily Star reported, citing diplomatic sources.
In a further sign of warming ties, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to visit Bangladesh on April 27–28.
The resumption of talks follows a shift in Bangladesh’s foreign policy posture after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a popular uprising in August last year. Her departure to India, a long-time ally, created space for Dhaka to recalibrate its regional relationships, including with Islamabad.
Recent months have seen significant diplomatic and trade developments. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus reaffirmed their commitment to stronger ties in a phone call last month.
Economic relations are also improving. In February, the two nations began direct government-to-government trade with Pakistan importing 50,000 tonnes of rice. Private trade resumed in November 2024, when a cargo ship sailed directly from Karachi to Chittagong for the first time in decades.
