Bangladesh has approved visa-free entry for Pakistanis holding diplomatic and official passports, a facility that had remained suspended since the country’s independence in 1971, media reports have confirmed. 

 

In a conference held in Dhaka on Thursday, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam stated that a mutual visa exemption agreement was approved by the Advisory Council of Bangladesh’s interim administration.

 

“The agreement will be for five years. Those who have diplomatic and official passports will be able to travel to Pakistan without a visa,” Alam said, adding that Bangladesh already has similar arrangements with 31 other countries.

 

The development comes after Bangladeshi Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chaudhary and Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting in Dhaka last month during which the two sides maintained they were finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for visa-on-arrival for official passport holders.

 

Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday night for a four-day official trip. According to an official statement, the purpose of the visit is to enhance bilateral trade relations and promote economic cooperation.

 

Following the August 2024 uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina's government, which had a pro-India stance, ties between Dhaka and Islamabad were improved.

 

On November 13 last year, a cargo vessel from Karachi docked at Bangladesh’s Chittagong port, marking the first direct maritime link between Pakistan and Bangladesh since 1971.