Direct flights between Pakistan, Bangladesh likely soon

Karachi, Dec 6 (PTI) Direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh will resume soon, Dhaka’s Deputy High Commissioner here S M Mahbubul Alam has announced, a media report said on Friday.

Alam also extended an invitation to Pakistan’s business community to participate in the Annual Trade Exhibition to be held in Dhaka in January 2025 and assured them that the visa process would be streamlined to facilitate their participation.

Last month, the first direct cargo vessel from Karachi docked at Chittagong port in Bangladesh in mid-November, which officials said marked a major step in bilateral trade.

The developments have taken place months after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh prime minister in an uprising led by students and installation of an interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus.

The Express Tribune quoted Alam as saying that the direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh, to commence soon, will significantly bolster ties between the two nations and their business communities.

The last direct flight between the two countries was in 2018.

In September, introducing direct flights and easing visa processes was earlier discussed in September in Dhaka between Pakistan High Commissioner to that country Syed Ahmed Maroof and Bangladesh’s Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, local media reported then.

The Express Tribune said the Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner Alam’s statements were made during a visit to the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI) in Hyderabad, about 170 kilometres northeast of Karachi.

Alam also said the Yunus had emphasised the need for leveraging the potential to enhance trade with Pakistan.

Pointing out that Pakistan-Bangladesh relations are rooted in the shared history, culture and trade, HCSTSI president Muhammad Saleem Memon highlighted the significant progress in trade ties, including the milestone achieved on November 11, when the first-ever direct cargo shipment was successfully made from Pakistan to Bangladesh.

Memon also urged Bangladeshi traders to actively participate in exhibitions in Pakistan and encouraged the High Commission to facilitate Pakistani traders in attending expos in Bangladesh.