Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Parvez Malik has said Islamabad is eager to expand trade and economic cooperation with Bangladesh across multiple sectors — moving beyond traditional areas such as jute — following the revival of the Bangladesh–Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) after a two-decade hiatus.
Speaking at the JEC’s closing session in Dhaka on Monday, Malik thanked Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed for his leadership in “steering this process forward” and creating “a new spirit of collaboration” between the two nations.
“We are meeting as JEC after a lull of 20 years, and we want to build on this positive momentum for the mutual benefit of both countries,” the Pakistani minister said.
“A lot of convergence in various areas has been achieved at this platform under the chairmanship of Dr Salehuddin, and we now plan to make tangible progress for the betterment of our people.”
Malik noted that the current trade volume between Bangladesh and Pakistan remains below $1 billion, which he described as “far below potential,” given the size and complementarities of the two economies.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s interest in importing jute from Bangladesh — a long-standing trade item — but said the scope of cooperation should now broaden to include agriculture, pharmaceuticals, power, and energy.
“We will, In Shaa Allah, try to expand and move beyond jute, while keeping it a mainstay of our cooperation,” he said.
“There is already a section on energy cooperation, and I will be meeting the Adviser on Energy to explore opportunities in that sphere as well.”
The minister also expressed gratitude to the Bangladeshi delegation for their warm hospitality and congratulated them on the “successful conclusion of this long-awaited dialogue,” emphasizing that both countries are committed to transforming goodwill into practical, results-oriented partnerships.
LND/SAE
………………
For 24/7 Breaking News :
📰 English News : www.libertynewsbd.com
📰 বাংলা সংবাদ : bangla.libertynewsbd.com
📰 Facebook : facebook.com/libertynewsbd
📰 Facebook (বাংলা) : facebook.com/libertynewsbangla
📰 X (Twitter) : x.com/libertynewsbd
📰 Instagram : instagram.com/libertynewsbd
📰 YouTube : youtube.com/@LibertyNewsBD
📰 YouTube : youtube.com/@LibertyNewsPlus
