The foreign secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan started in Dhaka this morning, marking the first such diplomatic engagement in 15 years.

The meeting started at State Guest House Padma around 10:00am with Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin and his Pakistani counterpart Amna Baloch leading their respective side.

This is the first such diplomatic engagement in 15 years, as Dhaka and Islamabad seek to normalise relations following the fall of Awami League government through a mass uprising on August 5 last year.

After the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC), Amna Baloch will also call on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain. She will also attend an interaction with the think-tanks and Pakistani diaspora in the capital this evening.

The FOC is being held ahead of Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Dhaka, expected on April 27–28.

Photo courtesy - Foreign Ministry

There have been efforts of normalising the relations between the countries since the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Prof Yunus, also a Nobel Laureate, met twice -- first on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September last year and later at the D-8 summit in Cairo in December the same year.

Since then, Bangladesh has eased visa rules for Pakistani nationals and launched direct shipping. Pakistan is keen to organise cultural exchange and boost trade, tourism and investment.

"Pakistan sees potential for boosting exports to Bangladesh, especially if their products are price competitive," said Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan, who is now in Dhaka for the meeting.

Pakistan aims to export products like cotton, sugar, rice and wheat, he said. In fiscal 2023–24, Bangladesh exported USD 61.98 million to Pakistan and imported goods worth USD 627.8 million.

As Pakistan serves as a gateway for goods from Afghanistan and Iran, Dhaka can export many goods from those countries through Pakistan, Khan told The Daily Star.

Discussions are also underway on starting direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan, he added.

In the last FOC in 2010, discussions were held on several issues, including Pakistan's unconditional apology for the 1971 war crimes, compensation for war damages, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, Bangladesh's rightful share of pre-1971 assets and repayment of foreign aid during the 1970 cyclone.

Foreign policy analysts say the historical issues need to be resolved if the Bangladesh-Pakistan relation is to be deepened.