Bangladesh | Pakistan

An 87-year-old former minister was among 16 people ordered by a Bangladesh court Friday to be detained in custody on charges of plotting against the government, police said. The South Asian nation has been in turmoil since a mass uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic government in 2024, with political parties vying for power ahead of elections scheduled for February. The 16 were arrested on Thursday after attending a meeting at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), a journalists’ association, where they accused political parties of conspiring to undermine the constitution. Witnesses said a mob stormed the venue, heckled the participants, and later handed them over to the police. “They were arrested under the anti-terrorism act,” said Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Dhaka’s central police station. Among those held was Abdul Latif Siddiqui, a former minister under Hasina. Police told the court that the accused were “hatching conspiracies and inciting unrest to destabilise the country and topple the government”...

DPM holds series of high-level engagements in Dhaka Dar, Yunus discuss revitalising SAARC for regional connectivity Bilateral agreements signed to strengthen cooperation Both sides call for tapping trade potential Dar’s visit marks first trip to Bangladesh by Pakistani foreign minister in 13.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his landmark visit to Dhaka during which the latter stressed the need to revitalise regional cooperation through South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc). Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh saw Sheikh Hasina’s government toppled in August of last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. The Foreign Office has termed Dar’s two-day visit — the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh in 13 years — a “significant milestone” in the two countries’ relations. According to a post on X by the Foreign Office (FO), Dar called on Yunus and apprised him of the developments during his trip. The pair discussed “recent developments in the region and the prospects of regional cooperation”. “The discussion covered revival of old connections between the two countries, promoting youth...

Pakistan and Bangladesh have signed six Memorandums of Understanding across different sectors to enhance bilateral relations.

DHAKA: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with the political leadership of Bangladesh during his visit to the South Asian country. “As part of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s interaction with different political stakeholders, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a meeting with a delegation of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), […]

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday hailed the “new phase of reinvigorated partnership” between Pakistan and Bangladesh in a landmark visit to the nation on Saturday, the first state visit by a foreign minister in 13 years. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh saw Sheikh Hasina’s government being toppled in August of last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. FM Dar arrived in Dhaka earlier today for an official two-day trip. Addressing a press conference at the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka, he extended an invitation to everyone in the gathering to visit Pakistan to engage with their counterparts and contribute to this “new phase of our reinvigorated partnership”. “Our hearts are open and our intent is most sincere,” FM Dar noted. The deputy PM said he wanted to underscore the federal government’s “strong desire to forge a cooperative and forward-looking relationship with Bangla...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday began a landmark visit to Bangladesh, the highest-level Pakistani trip to Dhaka since 2012, in what officials describe as a significant step toward resetting bilateral ties.

Pakistan’s commerce minister and a Bangladeshi government adviser met in Dhaka on Friday to discuss the enhancement of bilateral trade and the strengthening of economic ties between the two countries. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh 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 Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. A press release by the Ministry of Commerce said that Pakistan’s Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, who reached Dhaka on August 21 for an official visit, met with Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce Sheikh Bashir Uddin. During the interaction, both sides “held in-depth discussions in Dhaka today to advance economic cooperation, mutual investments and strengthen bilateral trade ties”. It added that Pakistan’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, was also present during the meeting. “The two countries are in the process ...

Pakistan and Bangladesh have formally agreed to grant visa-free entry to diplomats and government officials, following approval from the Advisory Council Committee.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan held productive discussions with Bangladesh’s Adviser for Industries Adilur Rahman Khan in Dhaka on Thursday to explore avenues for industrial cooperation between the two countries. The two countries were once one nation but split following a bloody civil war, which saw the territory previously referred to as ‘East Pakistan’ seceded to form the independent nation of Bangladesh. In the years since, Dhaka’s leaders, especially the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina, stayed firmly in the Indian camp. However, after Hasina’s government was toppled last year, there has been a thaw in ties between the two capitals, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. The commerce minister is currently on a visit to Bangladesh. He was received upon his arrival in Dhaka by Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin. “Looking forward to engagements with officials and business leaders,” he said. Kamal and Rahman discussed the importance of leveraging their economies and ind...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Saturday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further enhancing cooperation with Bangladesh in political, economic, and cultural spheres.

A court in Bangladesh on Monday heard cases brought by the anti-corruption organisation against ex-leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, including her daughter who has served as a top UN official. Three officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) read out testimonies in three separate cases over an alleged land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the capital Dhaka. Hasina, 77, fled Bangladesh by helicopter on August 5, 2024, after weeks of student-led protests against her autocratic rule. She has defied orders to return from India, including to attend her separate and ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity, over the deadly crackdown on the uprising. Hasina has been named in six corruption cases, along with her US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her daughter Saima Wazed, who has been serving as the World Health Organisation’s Southeast Asia chief in New Delhi. “If found guilty, Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and Saima Wazed could face up to 14 years in prison,” ACC la...

Bangladesh will hold elections in February 2026, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Tuesday, the first polls since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year. “On behalf of the interim government, I will write a letter to the chief election commissioner requesting that the election be arranged before Ramazan in February 2026,” Yunus said in a broadcast on the one-year anniversary of the ousting of ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, 85, is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections, and has said he will step down after the vote. “We will step into the final and most important phase after delivering this speech to you, and that is the transfer of power to an elected government,” he said. Yunus had earlier said elections would be held in April, but key political parties have been demanding he hold them earlier and before the month of Ramazan. “I urge you all to pray for us so that we can hold a fair and smooth election, enabling all citizens to ...

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan met with the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan, Md.

The first witness in the trial of Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave evidence on Sunday, a man shot in the face during protests that toppled her last year. Hasina, 77, who has defied court orders to return from India to attend her trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity, is accused of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed bid to crush the student-led uprising. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations. The first witness, among the 11 cases that the prosecution is expected to present to the court, was Khokon Chandra Barman, whose story reflects the violence of the protests. The 23-year-old wears a mask to conceal his face, which was ripped apart by a gunshot during the culmination of the protests on August 5, 2024, the same day that Hasina fled Dhaka by helicopter. “I want justice for the ordeal I’ve been going through, and for my fellow protesters who sacrificed their lives,” he told the court. Barman lost his left eye,...

Bangladesh’s interim government said on Saturday it will release its slate of democratic overhauls on August 5, the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of the previous autocratic administration. The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, ending her 15-year rule. Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has said he inherited a “completely broken down” system of public administration. Yunus previously pledged to unveil a “big package” to overhaul democratic institutions. But efforts to reach agreements have made slow progress as political parties jostle for power ahead of elections, slated for early 2026. Yunus’s government has warned that political power struggles risk jeopardising the gains that have been made. On July 29, Yunus said he was working to “build a broad national consens...

India has pushed hundreds of ethnic Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, accusing the government of flouting rules and fuelling bias on religious lines. The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long taken a hardline stance on immigration — particularly from Muslim-majority Bangladesh — with top authorities referring to them as “termites” and “infiltrators”. Critics also accuse the government of sparking fear among India’s estimated 200 million Muslims, especially among speakers of Bengali, which is widely spoken in both eastern India and Bangladesh. HRW, a New York-based nonprofit, said that India forcibly expelled more than 1,500 Muslim men, women, and children to Bangladesh between May 7 and June 15, quoting Bangladeshi authorities. “India’s ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is fuelling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens,” Elaine Pearson, Asia director ...

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...

Pakistan and Bangladesh have reached a mutual agreement to allow visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic and official passports, marking a step forward in strengthening bilateral relations.

Bangladesh survived a late onslaught by Faheem Ashraf and Ahmed Daniyal to pull off a narrow eight-run victory in the second T20I match on Tuesday, winning a first-ever series in the format against Pakistan. Ashraf hit an aggressive 32-ball 51 while debutant Daniyal smashed an 11-ball 17 but holed out off the second ball of the final over as Pakistan were all out for 125 in their chase of 134 to win in Dhaka. Earlier, Jaker Ali struck a 48-ball 55 as Bangladesh — sent in to bat — were bowled out for 133 in 20 overs, with Salman Mirza taking 2-17 and Daniyal close behind on 2-23. Left-arm Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam picked up his best T20I figures of 3-17 on a slow-paced Mirpur pitch as Pakistan lost their first five wickets for just 15 runs by the fifth over. Ashraf cracked four sixes and as many boundaries to raise hopes of a comeback win, but spinner Rishad Hossain bowled him in the penultimate over. Ashraf and Abbas Afridi, who scored a 13-ball 19, had revived the innings from 47-7 with a 41-run stand,...