Pakistan wants direct air connectivity with Bangladesh

Islamabad is keen to re-establish direct air connectivity between Pakistan and Bangladesh to further advance the trade and economic relations between the two countries.

This was revealed on Tuesday when Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof paid a courtesy call on Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.

During the meeting, the envoy also urged for easing visas for Pakistan nationals to Bangladesh to enhance people-to-people contact, read a press release.

The high commissioner expressed hope that the Pakistan prime minister and the chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government would be meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming UNGA in New York.

Emphasising the need to strengthen relations between the two countries, the envoy underscored the necessity of resuming the activities of the existing bilateral mechanisms like foreign secretary-level consultations and the Joint Economic Commission.

Referring to his meeting with the chief adviser, Maroof assured full support of his government in any initiative to reinvigorate the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and expressed hope that Bangladesh and Pakistan would continue to work closely at other multilateral fora.

The foreign adviser also underscored the significance of strengthening bilateral ties and assured to extend necessary cooperation for further advancing the ties with Pakistan.

He also emphasised the importance of revitalising SAARC to foster strong regional cooperation for the benefit of the people of the region.