Dhaka wants to 'settle 1971' to spur Pak ties

Yunus, Shehbaz agree to enhance bilateral ties, PM also meets Turkey, Iran, Indonesia presidents

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CAIRO:

Bangladesh wanted to resolve its "outstanding grievances" from the war that led to the creation of the country in 1971, and move forward, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a bilateral meeting in Cairo on Thursday.

Shehbaz, who is in the Egyptian capital to attend the Developing Eight (D-8) Organisation for Economic Cooperation meeting, held bilateral meetings with the leaders from the member countries on the fringes of the summit, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

A statement issued by Bangladesh Chief Adviser's Office stated that Yunus had "agreed to strengthen relations" with Pakistan. "The [1971] issues have kept coming again and again," Yunus told Shehbaz, according to the statement. "Let's settle those issues for us to move forward."

The statement further stated that Chief Adviser Yunus and Prime Minister Shehbaz "agreed to strength-en relations between the two countries through increased trade, commerce, and exchange of sports and cultural delegations".

Dhaka's statement said that both the leaders "agreed to strengthen [bilateral] relations through in-creased trade, commerce, and exchange of sports and cultural delegations". It added that Yunus expressed his intentions to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

The moribund eight-nation South Asian grouping remained stalled for years because of India's obduracy towards Pakistan. "This is a top priority," Yunus told Shehbaz. "I want a summit of Saarc leaders even if it is only for a photo session, because that will carry a strong message".

Taking to microblogging website of X, Shehbaz described the meeting as cordial, saying that he had a "warm and cordial exchange" with Yunus. "Together, we reaffirmed our commitment to deepen bilateral and multilateral collaboration," he posted on social media platform X.

A separate statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said that the Shehbaz-Yunus meeting took place in a cordial environment, truly reflecting the existing goodwill and fraternal ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The prime minister, the statement further said, called for taking advantage of great potential to boost trade in different sectors, including chemicals, cement clinkers, surgical goods, leather goods and information technology (IT).

Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan's keen desire to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges. He expressed his gratitude to Bangladesh for the recent steps for the facilitation of trade and travel between the two countries.

Shehbaz also thanked Bangladesh for doing away with additional clearance requirements for Pakistani visa applicants, waiving off of the condition of 100% physical inspection of the consignments from Pakistan and abolition of special security desk at the Dhaka airport to scrutinise Pakistani passengers.

While expressing satisfaction with the recent positive developments in bilateral relations, the two leaders agreed to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and emphasised the need to align efforts to achieve mutually beneficial development objectives.

In the Egyptian capital, Shehbaz joined the leaders of the D-8 countries at the 11th D-8 Summit, chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The Cairo moot gathered leaders from Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.

On the sidelines of the summit, Shehbaz also had bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. He also met with Egypt President El Sisi, who warmly received the prime minister at the Summit venue.

During the meeting with Erdogan, both sides reiterated their resolve to support each other on core is-sues of national interest, including Turkiye's support for Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan's support for Turkiye's stance on the Cyprus issue.

They also discussed the latest situation in the Middle East and Syria. Both the leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations for a promised homeland. They condemned the Israeli genocidal actions against the innocent Palestinians.

Shehbaz emphasised that the two countries should increase economic cooperation in new areas for foreign investment and joint ventures, particularly in IT, agriculture and green technology. They agreed to continue to work together for further deepening economic, trade, and defence cooperation.

Erdogan stressed the need for closely working together to promote regional peace and stability. He appreciated notable improvement in Pakistan's economy, and also lauded Pakistan for sending substantial humanitarian support to Palestine and Lebanon.

Talking to the Iranian President during the bilateral meeting, Shehbaz underscored the importance of operationalising the border markets, which had already been inaugurated. He called for joint efforts for the inauguration of remaining markets.

Both the leaders expressed the hope that the decisions taken at the D-8 Summit would pave the way for enhanced cooperation among the member states in mutually beneficial areas. Shehbaz said that Pakistan stood in complete solidarity with its brothers and sisters from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.

Shehbaz also held a meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to maintain the momentum in bilateral relations with particular emphasis on further deepening economic and commercial ties.

Emphasising Pakistan's deep interest in engaging with the Association of Southseast Asian Nations (Asean), Shehbaz said that Pakistan appreciated Indonesia's support in achieving Sectoral Partner Status in Asean and the membership of the Asean Regional Forum.

"With Indonesia's support, Pakistan looks forward to becoming a Full Dialogue Partner of Asean," he told President Subianto. Both the leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the statement said.