Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, and the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, had held talks recently on resolving some issues related to the 1971 Liberation War.
This meeting took place on the sidelines of the D-8 Summit held in Cairo. Both leaders expressed their willingness to strengthen bilateral relations and augment regional cooperation issues.
At the same time, in his statements, Yunus underlined the importance of dealing with the 1971-related issues. Further, Yunus remarked that resolving all matters was essential for moving forward on the front of relations between Dhaka and Islamabad.
He insisted on solving the matter "once and for all for the future generations." The topics raised in the 1971 conflict that gave birth to Bangladesh still remain sensitive issues. A tripartite agreement on some of those issues was made in 1974 between Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, but Yunus observed that there are still some matters that "need to be addressed".
Sharif acknowledged the value of the 1974 agreement and showed receptivity to considering any other lingering issues; he also reiterated Pakistan's commitment to reinforcing relations with Bangladesh, calling the two countries "brothers-in-country."
Sharif appreciated the relaxation by Bangladesh in relation to trade and travel, including waving off the 100 percent physical inspection requirement for Pakistani consignments.
He also remarked about the docking of a direct cargo vessel from Karachi to Chittagong port as a significant step in prevailing conditions concerning bilateral trade.
The leaders also considered the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) during their talk.
Sharif stressed the need for bringing a SAARC summit and established a call for strategic cooperation between Dhaka and Islamabad. The potential revival of SAARC is regarded as a way to strengthen connectivity and enhance collaboration between South Asian nations.
Yunus and Sharif further made some discussions-innovations intended to heighten cultural and sports exchanges and trade and commerce. The invitation from Pakistan was extended to Yunus for coming over, besides emphasizing the importance of continuing dialogue engagement.
One other issue discussed was the proposal to restore direct air connectivity between the two countries. Bangladesh announced direct flights from and to Pakistan whose operations would resume. These, among other activities, are expected to achieve closer interaction between the countries and their peoples.
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