Yunus | Pakistan

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...

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 ...