Pakistan, Bangladesh trade reopens
Pakistan sent first batch of quality rice to Dhaka as direct trade between the nations has been resumed. PHOTO: FILE
In a major development, direct trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh has resumed after five decades, with the first government-to-government cargo departing from Port Qasim on Saturday.
The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) bulk carrier MV Sibi is transporting 26,000 tons of rice to Bangladesh and is scheduled to arrive in Chittagong on March 4.
The transportation of the goods marked the first instance of official trade relations being restored since the fall of Dhaka in 1971.
Under a deal finalised in early February, Bangladesh is set to import 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). The shipment will be completed in two phases, with the remaining 25,000 tons to be dispatched in early March.
It is pertinent to note that after Sheikh Hasina Wajid's ouster last year, relations with Bangladesh saw a thaw with high-level exchanges between the two nations taking place. The interim government in Bangladesh extended an olive branch, to which Pakistan responded positively.