Pak keen to expand ties, says ambassador

Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider said on Wednesday that his country is keen to strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh in civil service training, trade, sports goods manufacturing and healthcare.

Pakistan is also interested in signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with two Bangladeshi training institutions.

Haider made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration Md Ismail Zabihullah at the Bangladesh Secretariat. A three-member Pakistani delegation accompanied him.

During the meeting, Haider said the Pakistani government is interested in signing an MoU between the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) in Pakistan and the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), as well as between Pakistan’s Civil Services Academy (CSA) and the Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy (BCSAA).

He said 12 Bangladeshi government officials have already completed training in Pakistan, while arrangements are under way for another 35 officials to receive training.

The high commissioner expressed hope that greater exchanges of experience and a better mutual understanding between officials of the two countries would help reduce the trade imbalance and broaden economic cooperation.

On trade, Haider said Pakistan has set an annual duty-free import quota of 10,000 tonnes of tea from Bangladesh. 

The meeting also discussed opportunities to increase Bangladeshi exports of tea, pineapples and shrimp to Pakistan.

The two sides also explored the possibility of establishing joint-venture factories in Bangladesh in partnership with sports goods manufacturers based in Sialkot, Pakistan. Discussions focused on the potential for technology transfer and skills development through such ventures.

In the healthcare sector, Haider expressed interest in arranging free liver transplants each year for 10 Bangladeshi patients at a specialised institution in Pakistan. He also proposed training Bangladeshi doctors and nurses in liver transplantation.

Further discussions covered opportunities to expand cooperation in the pharmaceutical and jute industries, tourism, education and aviation.

The high commissioner noted that the resumption of direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi after a 14-year gap would help strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Both sides expressed their commitment to closer cooperation to expand bilateral trade and investment.