ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is mulling resumption of direct flights to Dhaka as Islamabad’s relations with Bangladesh warm up, the Pakistani state carrier said on Sunday.
The statement came after a visit by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) head office in Karachi, according to the airline.
“Matters of mutual interests were discussed, including the resumption of PIA flights to #Dhaka to re-establish the air link and strengthen the bond between the two nations,” PIA said on X handle.
The development comes days after Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Sindh province, Murad Ali Shah, and Bangladesh’s Home Secretary Naseem-ul-Ghani met to discuss areas of mutual interest and to strengthen economic ties.
They agreed that direct flights and shipping services between Karachi and Dhaka were needed to boost trade and people-to-people contact, according to the Sindh government.
“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,” the Sindh government said in a statement 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.
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.
