Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Visits Bangladesh After 15 Years: What’s on the Agenda?

Significant Diplomatic Meeting in Dhaka

Dhaka: On Wednesday, Amna Baloch, the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, arrived in Bangladesh to engage in the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) scheduled for Thursday, marking the first such meeting in 15 years.

Upon her arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Baloch was greeted by Ishrat Jahan, the Director General of the South Asia Wing of the Bangladesh foreign ministry.

Baloch is set to meet with her Bangladeshi counterpart, M Jashim Uddin, at the state guest house known as 'Padma' on Thursday.

Sources indicate that there is no predetermined agenda for the discussions, as a wide range of mutual interests are expected to be addressed.

A spokesperson from the foreign office mentioned on Tuesday, "Given the lengthy gap, it’s challenging to set priorities beforehand, but the discussions will be thorough."

The last FOC took place in 2010, highlighting the long interval between such diplomatic engagements.

Following the FOC, Baloch will also pay courtesy visits to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser M Touhid Hossain.

Relations between Dhaka and Islamabad have been strained, particularly during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, especially since 2010 when Bangladesh began prosecuting individuals who collaborated with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War.

However, diplomatic ties have improved since Yunus' interim government took office after Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising on August 5 last year.

This meeting at the foreign secretary level precedes the upcoming visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka later this month, which will mark the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012.