Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has emphasised strengthening relations with Pakistan to boost mutual cooperation and explore trade and business potentials.
The Chief Adviser made the emphasis when Pakistani foreign secretary Amna Baloch met him at the State Guest Jamuna on Thursday.
"There are certain hurdles. We have to find ways to overcome those and move forward," he told Baloch, the first Pakistani foreign secretary to visit Bangladesh in 15 years.
Acknowledging past issues, Baloch said Bangladesh and Pakistan must find ways to "harness the potential between the two countries."
"We have a huge intramarket potential on our own rights, and we should use it," Baloch said. "We can't miss the bus every time."
She said there is the need for regular business-to-business (B2B) interactions between the private sectors of two countries and exchanging visits at all levels.
In January 2025, a delegation of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) visited Bangladesh and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI).
The Pakistan foreign secretary hoped that the upcoming visit of the country's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar at the end of April would further boost relations between the two countries.
Chief Adviser Prof Yunus said he always preferred closer ties with neighboring countries, including Pakistan, in the framework of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) .
He said Bangladesh and Pakistan should exchange more youth and cultural programs between the two countries to increase the people-to-people bonding.
"We kept missing each other for a long time as our relationship was frozen. We have to overcome the barriers," he said.
The Chief Adviser recalled his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the 79th UNGA in September 2024 and in Cairo on the sidelines of the D-8 Summit in December 2024, saying that they were key in making progress in bilateral relations.
He said Bangladesh and Pakistan will continue to work closely at multilateral and regional forums like SAARC, OIC, and D-8.
Senior Secretary on SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed and Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof were, among others, present.
MSH
