Pakistan, Bangladesh back in high-level diplomatic talks after 15-year hiatus

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA)— Pakistan and Bangladesh are back in high-level diplomatic talks after 15 years to further warm bilateral ties and ease people-to-people contacts, following the August uprising in the country that altered the geopolitical situation in the region.

The Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between the two South Asian nations took place in Dhaka on Thursday, the first such meeting since 2010.

Visiting Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch and her Bangladeshi counterpart Md Jashim Uddin, led their respective delegations, according to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry.

Following the meeting, Baloch said "fruitful discussions" had been held with Bangladesh.

Baloch is also scheduled to meet with Muhammad Yunus, the head of the transitional government, and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain later Thursday.

Earlier, Baloch arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday for a two-day visit ahead of Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's scheduled visit to Bangladesh later this month, which will be the top diplomat's first visit since 2012.

Bangladesh, separated from Pakistan in a nine-month Independence War in 1971, has begun to see a more welcoming environment for Islamabad, including bilateral trade and business, since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, known for her pro-Indian stance in South Asian geopolitics, was ousted in a mass uprising on Aug. 5.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, among the leaders, welcomed Yunus soon after he took office on Aug. 8 of last year.