(MENAFN) Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza met with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Saturday, signaling warming ties between the two nations following a change of government in Dhaka last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned amid youth-led protests.

According to a statement from the Yunus administration, the meeting focused on strengthening bilateral trade, investment, and defense cooperation. Mirza expressed Pakistan’s interest in expanding collaboration across multiple sectors and noted the strong potential for growth in trade and connectivity between the two countries, according to a press release from Pakistan’s armed forces.

“Our two countries will support each other,” Mirza told Yunus, adding that a two-way shipping route between Karachi and Chittagong has already begun operating, with a Dhaka-Karachi air route expected to open within months.

In August, Pakistan and Bangladesh signed six cooperation agreements aimed at deepening engagement, including a visa-free travel arrangement for diplomats and government officials.

Mirza’s trip marks the highest-level visit by a Pakistani official to Dhaka in years and follows the ousting of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, whose administration was widely regarded as pro-India.

Meanwhile, a gift from Yunus to Mirza sparked controversy in India after reports suggested it featured a map depicting parts of northeast India as Bangladeshi territory. India has not issued an official response, though it protested to Dhaka last year when a similar map appeared online.

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