Dawn
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14:51 Jul 23, 2025
Pakistan and Bangladesh on Wednesday agreed in principle to grant visa-free entry to holders of diplomatic and official passports, along with a pledge to stronger security cooperation. The two countries were once one nation but split following a bloody civil war, which saw the territory previously referred to as ‘East Pakistan’ seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh. In the years since the split between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Dhaka’s leaders — especially the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina — stayed firmly in the Indian camp, preferring to maintain close ties with New Delhi and keeping Islamabad at arm’s length. However, ever since a popular uprising that saw Hasina’s government toppled in August of last year, with the deposed premier fleeing to her old ally India, there has been a thaw in ties between the two capitals, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. In May, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan said that the visa regime between Pakistan an...