Bangladesh, Pakistan pledge to boost ties at a top-level meeting in New York

New York: Leaders of Pakistan and Bangladesh met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s 79th session in New York, with both sides agreeing to forge stronger ties and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.

It was the first meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh after he assumed office last month following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina whose resigned amid mounting pressure from a student-led uprising in the country that saw hundreds killed.

“Both sides agreed that there was a need to work closely at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels for the progress and development of the peoples of both countries,” a press release issued by Pakistani prime minister’s office said.

On his part, the Prime Minister highlighted Pakistan’s strong fraternal ties with Bangladesh, based on common faith, history, and culture. He also emphasized that both sides need to work together to further strengthen the bilateral relations.

“Capitalizing on the immense goodwill and warmth among the people of the two countries, he encouraged fostering relations through parliamentary exchanges, people-to-people contacts, and interactions among sports-persons, academics, artists, students, etc,” the press release said.

In addition, it said, the Prime Minister extended an invitation to the Bangladesh Chief Executive to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his convenience, “reinforcing the importance of regional cooperation and dialogue.”