Touhid–Ishaq Bilateral Meeting Scheduled Today

Md. Touhid Hossain, Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, and Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, are set to hold a bilateral meeting today, Sunday (24 August), during Dar’s official visit to Dhaka. The meeting is expected to emphasise the normalisation of relations from Bangladesh’s side, while Islamabad may seek to signal closer ties.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have stated that the two ministers will initially meet in private, followed by discussions at the level of their delegations. At the conclusion of the talks, it is expected that five to six agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between the two countries will be signed.

Sources indicate that the discussions between Touhid and Dar will cover a range of bilateral topics, including:

• Trade and investment
• Connectivity and transport
• Agriculture cooperation
• Facilitating the movement of citizens between the two countries

The meeting follows earlier discussions at the Foreign Secretary level, and Bangladesh aims to emphasise mutual respect, understanding, and shared interests during the ministerial-level talks. Officials stress that the resolution of longstanding issues is essential to advance the high-level communication that has recently developed.

The bilateral relationship will not be considered fully normalised without addressing three unresolved historical matters:

At the conclusion of today’s meeting, the following bilateral arrangements are expected to be formalised:

• Visa exemption for holders of official and diplomatic passports
• Formation of a joint working group on trade
• Cultural exchange programmes
• Cooperation between the Foreign Service Academies of both countries
• Collaboration between the national news agencies
• Partnership between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies(BIISS) and Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)

Later in the afternoon, Ishaq Dar is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government.

Dar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday, marking the first visit by a Pakistani Foreign Minister in a decade. On his first day, he held meetings with leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and NCP.

Originally, Dar was scheduled to visit Dhaka on 27 April; however, the visit was postponed due to heightened border tensions following a terrorist attack in Pehalgam, India.

Islamabad, seeking to revive the dormant bilateral relationship after nearly fifteen years, previously conducted a Foreign Secretary-level meeting in Dhaka this April, led by Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baluch.

Bangladeshi diplomats have indicated that while the country is earnest about normalising relations, unresolved historical issues remain crucial. Dhaka maintains that Pakistan must provide:

• Unconditional apology for the 1971 genocide
• War reparations
• Repatriation of stranded Pakistani citizens
• Fair division of assets
• Settlement of foreign aid given during the 1970 cyclone in undivided Pakistan

When asked whether these issues will be formally raised during Dar’s visit, a diplomat stated: “These unresolved matters are part of the agenda. Which issues will be raised and how will be decided during the meeting. Broadly, all of the key points will be included. It is too early to specify now; there is still time.”