KARACHI: Pakistan and Bangladesh officials agreed on Thursday that direct flight and shipping services between Karachi and Dhaka were needed to boost trade and people-to-people contact, the Sindh government said, in a move reflecting warmer ties between the South Asian countries.
The development took place during a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Bangladesh’s Home Secretary Naseem-ul-Ghani and High Commissioner Iqbal Hussain Khan to discuss areas of mutual trade and strengthen economic ties.
“The Bangladeshi Secretary recalled that a direct shipping service had recently been established by a private company but had since stopped and appealed to the Sindh CM to help resume it through federal channels,” said a statement issued by the provincial administration after the meeting.
The meeting came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s discussions with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Prof. Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of 80th Session of UNGA in New York on September 25, 2025. (Handout/PMO)
Both top leaders focused on building constructive and forward-looking ties rooted in mutual respect and trust between the countries.
Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed since the fall of the administration of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was widely viewed as close to India and critical of Pakistan, following a student-led uprising in August 2024.
Islamabad has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months as relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country.
