Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent special Bangladeshi mangoes as a goodwill gesture to Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
As reported by the national Bangladeshi media agency BSS on 22nd July, the mangoes were handed over to the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Protocol at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad on the day of Eid-ul-Azha, said a press release of Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad received in Dhaka.
Reportedly, PM Imran Khan received 1000KGs Bangladeshi premium quality ‘Haribhaga’ mangoes.
The mangoes have been received by the highest recipient with much
appreciation, the press release said.
It was quite a symbolic gesture between the two nations.
Improving relations between two nations
On 18 July 2021 Anadolu agency wrote on improving relations between two nations and reported a special interview with the Pakistani High Commissioner in Bangladesh Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.
The agency reported Mr. Siddiqui saying that leaders of both countries have already invited each other and both sides need to work on materializing exchanges early.
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Since his official inception in Bangladesh in February last year, Siddiqui has already met Bangladesh’s President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen, and other Cabinet ministers and dignitaries, including business leaders.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials and top businessmen from both countries also held several international webinars on trade and political relations.
In one, “Pakistan – Bangladesh Economic Relations: Future of Cooperation,” on July 5, business leaders and experts highlighted the prospect of mutual benefits in agriculture, readymade garment, and other sectors.
Siddiqui said during the interview he has also shared in detail the scope of trade and cooperation between Dhaka and Islamabad.
“There exists tremendous potential for both sides to cooperate in a mutually beneficial manner in the areas of trade and investment, culture, arts and literature, tourism, etcetera,” he said.
Referring to his frequent interactions with the trade and business community, academicians, and civil society representatives, he said he noticed “a strong willingness to take bilateral ties of both states forward.”
It must be mentioned that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote to Hasina in March 2021 about Bangladesh’s Golden Jubilee in which he “recalled the far-sighted vision of reconciliation and friendship between the two countries so dearly cherished by the leadership of the two countries.”
Referring to the invitation in the letter from Khan to Hasina, Siddiqui said: “We believe a visit by Honorable Prime Minister Hasina to Pakistan would provide an impetus to our bilateral ties.”
He added that the response of Hasina to Khan was also very cordial.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while accepting the invitation, also invited premier Imran Khan to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time,” he said. “Both sides need to work on materializing these exchanges early. On our part, we remain ready to extend any support towards this end.”
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For bolstering bilateral ties Siddiqui also emphasized revitalizing stalled consultative mechanisms as well as enhanced people-to-people contacts and added that in 2020 both premiers exchanged views on the evolving COVID-19 situation and shared strategies to address the pandemic, Anadolu reported.