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Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today on a two-day visit during which the two sides will discuss the signing of half a dozen cooperation instruments.
Ishaq Dar will also hold discussions with the Chief Adviser and leaders of some political parties here.
He will hold bilateral meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart Touhid Hossain at the State Guesthouse Padma tomorrow (Sunday).
The two sides are working on six instruments, including an agreement, a foreign ministry official told the FE.
Among the instruments under discussion are an agreement allowing visa-free travel for diplomats and government officials, a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint working group between the trade ministries of the two countries, memo on cooperation between the foreign service academies of both nations, collaboration between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and Pakistan's Institute of Strategic Studies, an MoU between the national news agencies of Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the renewal of a cultural cooperation memorandum.
The Pakistani foreign minister is also scheduled to meet leaders of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other political parties.
"Pakistan wants to increase its engagement with Bangladesh's future leadership now," says a diplomat.
The ties between the two countries soured during the 15-year regime of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and both the countries are trying to warm the relations up.
During the last one year, the head of post-uprising government, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, had two bilateral meetings with the Pakistan Prime Minister on the sidelines of international events.
Besides the current affairs, there are some pending issues between the two countries unresolved since the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule in 1971.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com