DHAKA: Pakistan and Bangladesh have resumed their bilateral Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) after a 15-year break, with the first session taking place in Dhaka.
According to Bangladeshi media reports, the meeting was being led by the foreign secretaries of both countries, with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch having arrived in Dhaka a day earlier to participate in the talks.
The consultations were expected to focus on issues of mutual interest, regional developments, and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries have gradually improved following the ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia last year whose government was seen as maintaining closer ties with India and taking a harder stance toward Pakistan over the 1971 war. Since then, there has been a measured shift in tone under the interim government, and both countries have shown greater openness toward dialogue and cooperation.
The revival of the FOC mechanism is being seen as a positive development, aimed at normalizing and strengthening bilateral relations after years of diplomatic stagnation.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also expected to visit Bangladesh in the last week of April, potentially adding further momentum to the evolving relationship.
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