Pakistan and Bangladesh on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in public sector capacity building and higher education as a high-level Bangladeshi delegation visited the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) in Lahore under the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor initiative.
The delegation, led by Bangladesh High Commissioner Mohammad Iqbal Hussain Khan and accompanied by Deputy High Commissioner Fazal Lohani Babu and other senior officials, held discussions with NSPP leadership on strengthening collaboration in civil service training, research, academic exchanges and professional development programmes.
Officials briefed the delegation on policy research, executive education and specialised training initiatives conducted by the National Institute of Public Policy (NIPP) and the Executive Development Institute (EDI). Both sides also exchanged views on governance reforms, leadership development and best practices in public administration.
Discussions focused on broadening cooperation under the Knowledge Corridor framework through reciprocal participation in professional training programmes, faculty exchanges, institutional partnerships, joint research initiatives and the sharing of expertise in public sector management.
The initiative marks a massive shift in Bangladesh’s foreign engagement strategy, which, for more than a decade under former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, maintained a strong pro-New Delhi stance, as India has been the primary destination for training senior Bangladeshi bureaucrats and academics.
Since the political transition that began under the former Chief Advisor Md Yunus’ interim administration, the stance has seemingly continued under the current BNP government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman which has further deepened its institutional links with Pakistan, including sending civil servants for training in Lahore and establishing the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, in a bid to shift from its reliance on India.
This cooperation isn’t merely limited to education, but rather goes across sectors, with high level officials from both nations focusing on expanding defence ties.
Officials from the two nations have actively discussed expanding joint training programs and even proposed a joint command mechanism to deepen institutional and strategic communications, with Dhaka and Islamabad also committing to agreements for officer exchange and training programmes between their national police academies.
Additionally, Bangladesh and Pakistan have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to grant on-arrival visa access for holders of diplomatic and official passports, with bilateral talks underway to launch direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi to ease business and tourist travel.
Furthermore, they have agreed to scale up cooperation in public and private trade sectors, with Dhaka aggressively seeking increased imports of Pakistani food commodities, edible oils, chickpeas, sugar, and urea fertilisers.
