Direct Pak-BD shipping route marks ties revival

DHAKA:

The first cargo ship in decades to sail directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh successfully unloaded its containers, port officials told AFP on Sunday, as both sides seek to rebuild ties after decades of frosty relations.

The 182-metre long container ship – the Panama-flagged Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan – had sailed from Karachi to Chittagong. Top Chittagong port official Omar Faruq confirmed to AFP on Sunday that the ship had unloaded its cargo on November 11 before departing.

The relationship between the two countries were strained during the 15 year rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who took her country closer to Pakistan's arch-rival in the region India. But Dhaka's ties with Delhi frayed after a student-led revolution in August toppled Sheikh Hasina.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Dhaka Syed Ahmed Maroof, sparked widespread discussion on social media in Bangladesh when he said after the docking of the ship that the direct shipping route was "a major step" in boosting trade across the region.

The route will "promote new opportunities for businesses on both sides", Maroof wrote on Facebook. Chittagong port authorities said the ship brought goods from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, including raw materials for Bangladesh's key garment industry and basic foodstuffs.

In September, Dhaka eased import curbs on Pakistani goods, which previously required a mandatory physical inspection on arrival. Pakistani goods previously had to be off-loaded onto feeder vessels – usually in Sri Lanka, Malaysia or Singapore – before travelling to Bangladesh.