Bangladesh’s interim government head Dr. Muhammad Yunus has expressed his desire to move forward by resolving issues with Pakistan arising since 1971.
According to the AFP news agency, during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the D-8 summit of developing countries in Cairo, the interim leader of Bangladesh has expressed his desire to resolve grievances arising from Dhaka’s separation from Islamabad in 1971.
Talking to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Dr. Muhammad Yunus said, “Problems have been coming up again and again, let’s resolve these issues so that we can move forward.”
During his meeting with Dr. Yunus, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the historical, religious and cultural ties between the two countries and expressed Pakistan’s deep desire for bilateral cooperation, especially in the areas of trade, people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges.
Bangladesh’s interim government head Dr Yunus also expressed his commitment to the revival of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). According to AFP, Dr Yunus told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the revival of SAARC is our top priority.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Dr Yunus for abolishing the requirement of 100 percent physical inspection of consignments coming from Pakistan and the special security desk for screening Pakistani passengers at Dhaka airport to facilitate trade and travel between the two countries.
The prime minister also thanked Bangladesh for abolishing additional clearance requirements for Pakistani visa applicants. He also stressed the need to take advantage of the vast potential for promoting trade in various sectors including chemicals, cement clinkers, surgical instruments, leather goods and IT.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the recent positive developments in bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction over the increasing number of high-level contacts.
They also agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and stressed the need to coordinate efforts to achieve mutually beneficial development objectives.
The two leaders recognized the importance of people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges, including increased exchanges of artists, athletes, academics, and students.
