Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is arriving in Dhaka on a two-day visit on Saturday (August 23). Islamabad will focus on revitalizing bilateral relations as well as increasing closeness at the political level during the visit. Five to six agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during the visit.

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is arriving in Dhaka on a two-day visit on Saturday (August 23). Islamabad will focus on revitalizing bilateral relations as well as increasing closeness at the political level during the visit. Five to six agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during the visit.

Sources said that various bilateral issues including trade, investment, connectivity, and facilitating the movement of people from both countries at various levels will be discussed in the Towhid-Dar meeting. In continuation of the Foreign Secretaries' meeting, Bangladesh will emphasize mutual respect, understanding, and common interests in the Foreign Minister-level talks to advance the relationship. However, to take the high-level contacts to the next level, it is important to resolve the unresolved issues.

This relationship, based on mutual respect and common interests between the two countries, will not be without the three unresolved historical issues.

The unresolved issues are Pakistan's formal apology for the 1971 genocide, the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, and Bangladesh's fair share of undivided wealth.

After the meeting, the two countries are expected to sign an agreement on visa abolition for government and diplomatic passport holders. In addition, agreements and agreements are expected to be signed on the formation of a joint working group on trade between the two countries, cultural exchange, cooperation between the Foreign Service Academy of the two countries, cooperation between the two state news agencies, and cooperation between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) of Pakistan.

On Sunday afternoon, Ishaq Dar will pay a courtesy call on Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government.

Diplomatic sources said that during his visit to Dhaka, Ishaq Dar will exchange views with Bangladeshi political leaders. As part of his visit, Dar will meet BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence. Dar is also scheduled to meet with leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami.

The student uprising has added a new dimension to the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Islamabad is keen to take forward the stagnant bilateral relations after almost a decade and a half. As part of this, Bangladesh and Pakistan held a Foreign Secretary-level meeting in Dhaka last April after a long 15 years. Pakistan was led by Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch in the meeting.

Diplomatic sources say that after the political change in Bangladesh, Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus met Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif twice abroad. First in New York and then in Egypt. Not only that, several visible developments have been seen with Pakistan after the change of government. Notable among them is the start of direct cargo shipping between the two countries. In November last year, a container ship from Karachi, Pakistan, reached Chittagong port directly, an opportunity that was not available before.

Last December, the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered to make it easier for foreign nationals of Pakistani origin to obtain visas to Bangladesh. Earlier, a no-objection letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs was required for issuing visas to Pakistani citizens and citizens of developed countries of Pakistani origin. In addition, in early September, Pakistan announced that Pakistan would not charge visa fees for Bangladeshis. Initiatives have also been taken to operate direct flights between the two countries.

According to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, the Bangladesh Foreign Advisor has already met the Pakistani Foreign Minister four times since the formation of the interim government. Last month, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Dhaka as the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). In addition, Pakistan's Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan is currently in Dhaka on a four-day visit.

Bangladeshi diplomats say Bangladesh is sincere in normalizing relations with Pakistan. However, Dhaka has not forgotten the unresolved issues. Bangladesh believes that issues such as Pakistan's unconditional apology for the massacre by Pakistani forces in 1971, compensation for the war, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, sharing of assets, and repayment of foreign aid given during the cyclone in undivided Pakistan in 1970 are important to be resolved.

When asked whether the unresolved issues will be raised by Dhaka during Dar's visit, a diplomat said, "These are part of the issues. The meeting decides which ones will be raised and which ones will not be raised. In broad terms, whatever is there will remain. It is difficult to say this far in advance, there is still a lot of time left."

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government, the foreign affairs advisor of the interim government, Md. Touhid Hossain, had to face questions from the media at various times about Pakistan's excessive interest. He has always said that no message of improving relations was given to Pakistan, leaving aside the issue of the Liberation War. We did not try to give them the idea in this context that we would have good relations leaving aside 1971. We will definitely try to create good relations, 1971 will also be there.

The foreign affairs advisor does not think that the long-standing unresolved issue will be resolved easily. However, he believes that if Pakistan shows the courage to sincerely apologize, citing the incident that took place here in 1971, it would not be wrong.

Incidentally, in 2012, Pakistan's then Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar came to Dhaka to invite ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the D-8 summit held in Islamabad. After a gap of 10 years, there is a possibility that Hina Rabbani will come to Dhaka again in July 2022 to attend the D-8 ministerial meeting. She was then Pakistan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs. But in the end, Hina did not come to Dhaka.