Bangladesh, Pakistan hold bilateral home affairs talks at UN Headquarters

Bangladesh and Pakistan held a high-level bilateral meeting between their home ministers at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday.

The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and was led by Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Pakistan Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

During the meeting, they discussed a wide range of issues including security cooperation, regional stability, counter-narcotics efforts, urban safety, police capacity building and the Rohingya crisis.

At the outset of the meeting, Salahuddin recalled Naqvi's successful visit to Bangladesh in May this year.

He expressed satisfaction over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) following that visit to strengthen cooperation in preventing the illicit trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

He said the agreement would play an important role in protecting the borders and societies of both countries.

Highlighting bilateral relations, the Bangladeshi minister reaffirmed his government's commitment to further strengthening ties with Pakistan on the basis of shared history, mutual respect, understanding and partnership.

He also welcomed the resumption of Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi in January this year after a 14-year suspension, saying the move had created new opportunities for people-to-people contact and bilateral trade.

Salahuddin also raised the humanitarian concerns facing people of Bangladeshi origin living in Pakistan.

He said many Pakistani citizens of Bangladeshi descent and their family members were experiencing difficulties in obtaining the country's Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) due to the absence of required family documentation, commonly known as a family tree. As a result, many were being deprived of basic rights, including access to education and healthcare.

He urged the Pakistani side to consider the matter from a humanitarian perspective and requested a prompt and lasting solution.

Referring to Pakistan's experience in urban security, the home minister said the Safe City initiative, implemented in more than 40 major Pakistani cities, could serve as a useful model for Bangladesh.

He noted that Bangladesh's then Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, now the Cabinet Secretary, had visited the Safe City projects in Islamabad, Lahore, Multan and Karachi in September 2025.

Drawing on those experiences, Salahuddin said Pakistan could provide technical and strategic assistance to help improve urban security in Bangladesh.

He also sought Pakistan's support in providing advanced training for Bangladeshi police officers to further enhance the professionalism and operational capacity of the Bangladesh Police.

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On the Rohingya issue, the minister noted that Bangladesh and Pakistan had previously worked together to address the situation of undocumented Rohingyas residing in Saudi Arabia.

He said continued close consultation and practical cooperation between the two countries would remain important in addressing future regional and global humanitarian challenges.

Salahuddin also expressed Bangladesh's expectation of Pakistan's continued and strong support in international forums to ensure the safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

During the meeting, Naqvi invited the Bangladeshi home minister to visit Pakistan. Salahuddin thanked him for the invitation and said he would undertake the visit at a mutually convenient time.

Senior officials from the home ministries of both countries also attended the meeting.