Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday informed the National Assembly that direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh will soon resume.
Responding to a question during the Question Hour, the minister said both sides are working on the early resumption of direct flights to enhance trade, tourism, and medical travel between the two countries.
He said Bangladesh has granted permission to Fly Jinnah and Air Sial to operate flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Pakistan and Bangladesh enjoy brotherly relations, which have strengthened in recent years through increased communication and leadership-level engagement.
Highlighting growing economic cooperation, the minister said a Joint Working Group on Trade has been established to boost bilateral trade and investment.
He added that chambers of commerce delegations from both countries have exchanged visits, with discussions on enhancing imports and exports progressing positively.
He informed the House that frequent high-level interactions have played a pivotal role in improving ties. The Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh met three times – in New York (September 2024 and September 2025) and Cairo (December 2024) – and held telephonic conversations in August 2024 and March 2025.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also undertook a productive visit to Dhaka on August 23-24, 2025 – the first such visit in over a decade – while the 6th round of Pakistan-Bangladesh Foreign Secretary-level consultations took place in April 2025 after nearly 15 years.
High-level visits from Bangladesh included the Adviser on Religious Affairs and the Senior Secretary of Home Affairs, who visited Pakistan in September 2025.
Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said both countries have taken major trade facilitation measures, including the signing of an MoU to establish the Joint Working Group on Trade during the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s visit to Dhaka. He added that Bangladesh lifted the requirement of 100% physical inspection of Pakistani consignments at its ports in September 2024, while the launch of a direct shipping service between Karachi and Chittagong reduced transit time from 23 to 10 days.
The minister said the 9th Session of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) is scheduled to be held in Dhaka on October 27, 2025, to review bilateral economic cooperation. The Joint Business Council (JBC) between the FPCCI and FBCCI was also reactivated in January 2025.
He further noted that a Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) delegation visited Bangladesh in January 2025, resulting in an MoU for the export of 200,000 metric tons of rice, of which 50,000 metric tons have already been supplied.
Pakistan also organized the Pakistan-Bangladesh Business Forum in Dhaka in April 2025, which saw participation from over 200 companies, while Pakistani firms actively took part in the Dhaka International Trade Fair 2025 and the Bangladesh Denim Expo 2025.
To further strengthen people-to-people connectivity, Bangladesh has also streamlined business visa procedures for Pakistani investors, he added.