Bangladesh’s opinion: Disagree with Ishaq Dar’s comments on 71 issues

During the previous government, relations with Pakistan were deliberately put on hold. We want normal relations with them. Just like we want with other countries. Nothing more than that, said Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Towhid Hossain. He said this after a meeting with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday (August 24). Stating that Bangladesh disagrees with Ishaq Dar’s comments, he said, “If we had agreed, all the problems would have been resolved. We have stated our position and they have stated their position. Bangladesh’s position on this issue is clear. We want the accounting to be done, the money issue to be resolved. They should express regret and apologize for the genocide.” He said, “We talked about health-related issues in the meeting. The unresolved historical issues between the two countries were also discussed. There was talk of expanding trade and increasing investment between the two countries.” We have mentioned that our trade balance is against us. Both sides have expressed interest in increasing trade because our total trade volume is less than one billion dollars. The advisor said, we have asked for some access to their markets. Under SAFTA, facilities should be provided. These include textiles, energy, pharmaceutical industry, agricultural products and information technology, which we consider to be more promising. In addition, there is a possibility of cooperation in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. There were talks on energy exports from Pakistan. There were also talks on transport and communication. There were talks on how to make shipping with Chittagong Port more regular. In addition, there were discussions on how to improve the relations between the two countries in the fields of education, culture and sports. The ongoing war in Gaza and the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar were discussed. They also want the Rohingya to return home. He also mentioned that an agreement and 5 memorandums of understanding were signed in the meeting.