Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday had a telephonic conversation with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the Kashmir dispute.
As per the Associated Press, Khan invited Ms. Hasina to pay a visit to Islamabad.
In the conversation, he highlighted the situation in Kashmir and “stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for a safe and prosperous region,” The Hindu reported.
“The Pakistan premier phoned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at around 1 pm and wanted to know from her about the coronavirus situation in Bangladesh and how her government is combating the deadly disease,” PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told Bangladesh’s national news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
This was the second phone call between the two premiers in a year and was held weeks after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K.Abdul Momen hosted Pakistan’s High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui in Dhaka.
Relations between the two countries have remained tense for the last many years. The two countries have yet to overcome the bitter memories of 1971 that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
What led to the current low in their ties was the decision taken a few years ago by the incumbent government of Shaikh Hasina Wajid to try and execute several leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on charges of committing war crimes in 1971.
Foreign office sources were cautious about calling the meeting held earlier this month as a “breakthrough” or whether this would lead to breaking the ice, Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reported.
Khan also urged the Bangladesh PM to extend her support to maintain the spirit of regional cooperation under the umbrella of SAARC.
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