ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday extended well wishes to Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus after he was sworn in as chief adviser for Bangladesh’s interim government and hoped that cooperation between the two countries would deepen in the days ahead.
In a post on X, Shehbaz, 72, expressed his hopes to “deepen cooperation” between Pakistan and Bangladesh under the leadership of Yunus, 84.Yunus was backed to lead the South Asian country’s interim government by a student-led movement after protests that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina who resigned and fled the country earlier this week.
The protests resulted in the tragic loss of over 400 lives, primarily young students.In his post on X, Shehbaz wrote: “Heartiest felicitations to Professor Muhammad Yunus on his swearing-in as Chief Adviser of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
“Wishing him great success in guiding Bangladesh towards a harmonious and prosperous future. I look forward to working with him to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the days ahead.”
Yunus, who was previously in Paris for medical treatment, returned to his home town on Thursday after Bangladesh’s student leaders backed him for the role in a government tasked with holding elections for a new leader.
Yunus, a staunch critic of Hasina, is known as “banker to the poor” and received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for founding a bank that pioneered the fight on poverty through extending small loans to needy borrowers.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Pakistan and Bangladesh established diplomatic relations in December 1975.Bangladesh remains Pakistan’s largest trading partner in South Asia as volume of bilateral trade hovers around $800 to $900 million annually.
Pakistan and Bangladesh have institutionalised mechanisms of dialogue such as Bilateral Political Consultations and Joint Economic Commission. They also cooperate on various multilateral fora, including United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. —News Desk
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