Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, paid a courtesy visit to Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman at his residence in Dhaka on Sunday, marking a significant moment in Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach to Bangladesh’s political leaders.

The meeting, which lasted about half an hour, was cordial and respectful. Dar inquired about Dr Shafiqur Rahman’s health and offered his best wishes for a swift recovery.

In response, the Jamaat leader expressed sincere gratitude for the gesture, calling it a symbol of fraternal ties between the two nations.

This visit came as part of Dar’s landmark two-day trip to Bangladesh, the first by a Pakistani foreign minister in nearly 13 years, and follows a series of high-level engagements with Bangladeshi political figures, including BNP and NCP leaders.

Focus on Muslim unity and Palestine

After the meeting, the party’s Nayeb-e-Amir Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said the Amir emphasised the importance of unity within the Muslim Ummah during his conversation with the Pakistani leader.

“He urged Ishaq Dar to play an effective role at tomorrow’s gathering of Muslim foreign ministers in Jeddah,” Taher said. The Jamaat leadership also expressed deep concern over the ongoing genocide in Palestine, calling for stronger collective action from the Islamic world.

Additionally, both sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh, exploring opportunities for cooperation on issues of mutual interest, including trade, cultural exchange, and regional stability.

High-level delegations on both sides

Dar was accompanied by a senior delegation, including Tariq Bajwa, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Imran Haider, High Commissioner of Pakistan in Dhaka, Muhammad Wasif, Deputy High Commissioner, and Kamran Dangal, Political Counsel.

Representing Jamaat-e-Islami were Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Nayeb-e-Amir and former MP, Ehsanul Mahbub Zobayer, Assistant Secretary General and Head of the Central Publicity & Media Department, and Professor Dr Mahmudul Hasan Chowdhury, Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Amir.

The visit underscores Pakistan’s broader diplomatic strategy to engage with a wide spectrum of Bangladeshi political forces in the wake of recent political changes in Dhaka. By reaching out to religious and conservative parties like Jamaat-e-Islami, Islamabad is reinforcing its message of regional solidarity rooted in shared history, faith, and geopolitical vision.