LAHORE (Web Desk/APP/AFP) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a bilateral meeting with Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the head of interim government of Bangladesh on the sidelines of D8 Summit in Cairo.
The meeting has been a worry for New Delhi which has been portraying itself as one of the close friends to Bangladesh over shift in Dhaka’s stance, Indian news website India.com reported.
It reported that Shehbaz told Dr Yunus that “goods arriving in Bangladesh from Pakistan no longer undergo physical inspections.”
Moreover, the process for Pakistani citizens travelling to Bangladesh has been simplified; visa procedures have been streamlined and security desk for Pakistanis at Dhaka airport has been removed.
According to the Indian website, the “historic friendly relations” between India and Bangladesh now appear to be weakening. India has traditionally maintained lower vigilance along its border with Bangladesh compared to its heavily guarded border with Pakistan. Main worry for India is “broader regional geopolitical shift arising from these developments.”
APP reported: In the meeting held in the capital of Egypt, Prime Minister Shehbaz stressed on taking advantage of great potential to boost trade in different sectors, including chemicals, cement clinkers, surgical goods, leather goods and IT.
The meeting took place in a cordial environment, truly reflecting the existing goodwill and fraternal ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to a PM Office press release.
Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted the historical, religious and cultural ties between the two countries. He expressed Pakistan’s keen desire to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges.
He expressed his gratitude to Bangladesh for the recent steps taken for the facilitation of trade and travel between Pakistan and Bangladesh. This includes waiving off the condition of 100% physical inspection of the consignments from Pakistan and abolishment of special security desk at the Dhaka airport earlier established to scrutinize Pakistani passengers.
The prime minister also thanked Bangladesh for doing away with additional clearance requirement for Pakistani visa applicants.
‘LET'S DO AWAY WITH 1971 INCIDENTS’
News agency AFP reported that Dr Yunus expressed the desire to resolve outstanding grievances from Dhaka’s 1971 separation from Islamabad.
“The issues have kept coming again and again. Let’s settle those issues for us to move forward,” AFP quoted Dr Yunus as telling PM Shehbaz.
The two countries were once one nation, but split following a civil war, which saw the territory previously referred to as ‘East Pakistan’ seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction over recent positive developments in bilateral relations and noted with satisfaction the increasing frequency of high-level contacts.
They agreed to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and emphasized the need to align efforts to achieve mutually beneficial development objectives.
The two leaders acknowledged the importance of people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges including enhanced exchange of artists, sportspersons, academics, and students etc.
They noted with satisfaction the recent visit by the Bangladesh cricket team to Pakistan and a concert of a Pakistani artist in Dhaka.
Both sides agreed to forge greater cooperation at various multilateral fora, including D-8.iar.