High Commissioner of Pakistan in Dhaka Syed Ahmed Maroof on Tuesday requested Bangladesh for easing visas for Pakistani nationals to Bangladesh for further advancing the trade and economic relations between the two countries and enhancing people-to-people contact.
He also underscored the need for early resumption of direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan by either Bangladeshi or Pakistani airlines.
The envoy paid a courtesy call on the Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the interim government Md Touhid Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed the issues, UNB reports.
Referring to his meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, High Commissioner Maroof assured the full support of the Government of Pakistan in any initiative to reinvigorate the SAARC and expressed hope that Bangladesh and Pakistan will continue to work closely at other multilateral fora.
He expressed hope that the Prime Minister of Pakistan and Chief Adviser would be meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming UNGA in New York.
The envoy congratulated the Adviser for Foreign Affairs on his appointment as the Foreign Affairs Adviser.
He referred to the congratulatory messages of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the Chief Adviser and reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to work with the interim government of Bangladesh for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.
He emphasized the necessity of resuming the activities of the existing bilateral mechanisms like Foreign Secretary-level Consultations and Joint Economic Commission.
Ahmed Maroof also emphasized the importance of revitalizing SAARC to foster strong regional cooperation for the benefits of the peoples of the region.
bd-pratidin/GR
