Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider today paid a courtesy call on Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Prof. Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain at the latter's office in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The meeting was attended by Women and Children Affairs Secretary Yasmeen Parveen and Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Mohammad Wasif.
Discussions on Mutual Interests
The two sides discussed various matters of mutual interest, including women's education, prevention of child marriage, women's self-employment, agriculture, dairy, poultry, fisheries, and bilateral trade and commerce. The minister highlighted Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's efforts to fulfill election pledges and build a humane and justice-based Bangladesh through collective efforts.
Market Access and Trade
Minister Hossain expressed hope for Pakistan's positive cooperation in facilitating duty-free and barrier-free access for handicrafts and other products made by Bangladeshi women to the Pakistani market. He also urged Pakistan to import Bangladeshi mangoes, jackfruits, and pineapples.
High Commissioner Haider noted that bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan has increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year and expressed optimism that the volume would continue to grow. He mentioned that Pakistan offers duty-free access for up to 10,000 tonnes of Bangladeshi exports and urged the Bangladesh government to take advantage of this facility.
Educational Cooperation
The envoy informed that Bangladeshi students have recently traveled to Pakistan to pursue higher studies in cyber security, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence (AI). He also mentioned that a delegation of Bangladesh Civil Service additional secretaries and joint secretaries recently visited Pakistan as part of an academic training program and expressed hope that such cooperation would expand further in the future.
Minister Hossain called upon Pakistan to increase the number of scholarships for Bangladeshi students. In response, the Pakistani High Commissioner expressed a positive attitude towards expanding the scholarship opportunities.
