Dhaka (TDI): For the first time since 1971, Bangladesh and Pakistan have agreed to grant mutual visa exemptions for holders of official and diplomatic passports. The decision was announced on Thursday, by the press secretary of Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser.
An earlier talk on the matter surfaced last month when Pakistan’s Interior Minister was in Dhaka to attend an event of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). On the sidelines, he met Bangladesh’s Home Minister and both agreed in principle to grant visa exemptions to officials.
That agreement has now been formalized and put in place for five years. The agreement surfaces as more and more officials from both countries are flying to and fro. Relations between the two are on a historic rise since last year protests ousted Hasina Wajid.
“The agreement will be for five years. Those who have diplomatic and official passports will be able to travel to Pakistan without a visa,” the press secretary said.
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Notably, Bangladesh already maintains similar arrangements with 31 other countries, and it is not unusual for friendly countries to have such exemptions in place. But for Pakistan and Bangladesh, this move confirms that bilateral relations are at their best.
The 1971 war, which led to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, resulted in the suspension of diplomatic ties and the introduction of visa requirements between the two sides, a policy that stayed in for over five decades.
The exemption, for now, applies only to holders of diplomatic and official passports, but it could signal a future expansion to broader passport categories, such as business or tourist passports.
The announcement came as Pakistan’s Commerce Minister was on an official visit to Bangladesh, a visit that concludes tomorrow, and also at a time when the Foreign Minister was due to visit in a day. The agreement is being welcomed equally by both countries.
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