• Interim Bangladesh leader Yunus terms reactivating Saarc ‘a top priority’; Islamabad keen to enhance bilateral cooperation
• PM Shehbaz seeks Iran’s support on BRICS membership; calls for more economic cooperation with Turkiye
• Stresses importance of ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon for global peace and stability

ISLAMABAD: During a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the D-8 summit of developing nations in Cairo, the interim leader of Bangladesh on Thursday expressed the desire to resolve outstanding grievances from Dhaka’s 1971 separation from Islamabad.

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.

“The issues have kept coming again and again. Let’s settle those issues for us to move forward,” the AFP news agency quoted Dr Muhammad Yunus as telling PM Shehbaz, according to a statement from the former’s office.

In the years since the split, Dhaka’s leaders — especially the recently 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, there has been a thaw in ties between the two capitals, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement.

It was in this spirit that PM Shehbaz, during a meeting with Dr Yunus, highlighted the historical, religious and cultural linkages between the two countries and expressed Pakistan’s keen desire to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges, a statement from the PM Office said.

The Nobel laureate, who currently serves as the chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, also expressed a commitment to revive the moribund eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) — largely stalled due to arguments between Islamabad and New Delhi. “This is a top priority,” AFP quoted Yunus as telling PM Shehbaz.

For his part, the Pakistani premier expressed his gratitude for the recent steps taken to facilitate trade and travel between the two countries, including the waiver of the condition of 100 per cent physical inspection of the consignments from Pakistan and abolishment of special security desk at the Dhaka airport, earlier established to scrutinise Pakistani passengers.

The prime minister also thanked Bangladesh for doing away with additional clearance requirements for Pakistani visa applicants. He also stressed the need to take advantage of the great potential to boost trade in different sectors, including chemicals, cement clinkers, surgical goods, leather goods and IT.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction over recent positive developments in bilateral relations and noted with satisfaction the increasing frequency of high-level contacts.

They also 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.

Meetings with world leaders

In addition to the meeting with Dr Yunus, PM Shehbaz met with a whole host of global leaders on the sidelines of the D-8 summit in the Egyptian capital.

In a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, he stressed the importance of operationalising border markets, to develop and improve the livelihood of those living in the border regions between the two neighbours.

He also congratulated Iran on becoming a full member of BRICS and requested Iran’s support for Pakistan’s membership of the bloc.

PM Shehbaz also met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he emphasised that the two countries should increase economic cooperation in new areas for foreign investment and joint ventures, particularly in IT, agriculture and green technology.

The two leaders held wide-ranging talks and discussed further strengthening of bilateral relations, particularly boosting economic ties to achieve the bilateral trade target of $5 billion set by the two leaders.

They agreed to continue to work together for further deepening economic, trade, and defence cooperation. The two leaders also reiterated their resolve to support each other on core issues of national interest including Turkiye’s support for Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s support for Turkiye’s stance on the Cyprus issue.

Address to D-8 summit

Earlier, in his remarks at the D-8 Summit in Cairo, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan possessed a “fountain of potential for innovation and growth” in the shape of 60pc of the population, which is under the age of 30.

“Pakistan is home to one of the largest freelance communities in the world. We are focusing on IT trainings at a mass scale to equip our youth with the necessary tools to connect with the digital world and capitalise on those opportunities with the aim to enable jobs-seekers become job-creators,” he remarked.

Reflecting on Summit’s theme, ‘Investing in Youth and Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises’, the prime minister stressed its relevance in building resilient economies and creating opportunities.

He outlined that for D-8 member-states, empowering youth and entrepreneurship, presented an opportunity, to harness the power of young population, and create environments, where small businesses, could thrive.

“Today’s Summit offers a valuable opportunity for D-8 countries to share the best practices, pool resources, and create, programs, that support, youth and SMEs across borders,” he said.

He also announced that the country’s federal cabinet had approved, the implementation of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement as well as its protocol on Dispute Settlement Mechanisms.

PM Shehbaz also highlighted the importance of ceasefire in Gaza, adding that it was crucial to ensure peace, prosperity and progress, not only in the region but globally.

“I would, in all humanity, urge my brother presidents, prime ministers, other dignitaries sitting in this room that while we discussed today’s agenda, it was equally important to discuss the situation in Gaza, the peace and ceasefire in Lebanon and potential threat of Israel’s carnage,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024