Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal called on the newly elected Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, following his oath-taking ceremony in Dhaka.
Iqbal represented the Pakistan's prime minister at the ceremony and conveyed warm congratulations on behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan to Prime Minister Rahman on his election. He expressed best wishes for the peace, progress and prosperity of Bangladesh under his leadership. During the meeting, Iqbal delivered a formal invitation from the Pakistan's prime minister, inviting Prime Minister Rahman to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.
The two leaders discussed avenues to reinvigorate bilateral relations and enhance regional cooperation. Iqbal stressed the need to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to promote regional connectivity and advance a shared geo-economic vision for South Asia.
He said that South Asia remains among the least integrated regions owing to historical conflicts, and said Pakistan and Bangladesh, through mutual collaboration, could help pave the way for a more integrated and economically vibrant region.
Highlighting the importance of knowledge partnerships, Iqbal proposed the establishment of a Pakistan–Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor to strengthen academic, research and technological collaboration. He informed the Bangladeshi Prime Minister that the Chairman of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission would visit Bangladesh to explore twin-university agreements and promote student and faculty exchange programmes.
The planning minister underscored the importance of youth exchanges in building long-term partnerships and announced enhanced academic cooperation, including scholarship opportunities. He said 500 scholarships had been allocated, with 75 students already proceeding to Pakistan for higher education.
Both sides also discussed cooperation between institutions, including the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and the National Database and Registration Authority, and their Bangladeshi counterparts, to exchange expertise in data systems, digital governance and institutional capacity-building.
Iqbal also pointed to opportunities for collaboration in small and medium-sized enterprises and cottage industries. He said that by leveraging their combined populations, Pakistan and Bangladesh could secure a greater share in global markets for technology-enabled services, manufacturing and production.
The expansion of direct flight operations and improved connectivity also came under discussion as measures to facilitate trade, tourism, business-to-business engagement and people-to-people contacts.
Iqbal had proposed the revival of the Iqbal Academy and suggested joint celebrations next year to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal as a symbol of shared intellectual and cultural heritage.
