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ISLAMABAD: A seven-member delegation from Bangladeshi universities is currently visiting Pakistan to deepen academic and scientific cooperation between the two countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s coordinating body for scientific collaboration said on Thursday.

Pakistan and Bangladesh, once a single country before the bloody 1971 war, have slowly begun rebuilding ties after last year’s political upheaval in Dhaka, which saw the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, long viewed as critical of Islamabad and aligned with New Delhi.

She fled to India by helicopter after her administration’s downfall in August 2024, with Dhaka now seeking her extradition.

The ties between India and Bangladesh’s interim government have become frosty, creating space for Islamabad and Dhaka to re-engage after decades of limited contact.

“The forum brought together a seven-member Bangladeshi delegation comprising vice chancellors and senior representatives from leading universities, and vice chancellors from 15 top Pakistani universities, which are part of COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence,” the OIC-COMSTECH said in a statement, adding that academics from Bangladesh are visiting Pakistan from June 16-21.

The visiting delegation termed their ongoing visit as “historical, highly productive and promising” for academic collaboration between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Vice chancellors from Pakistani and Bangladeshi universities held discussions aimed at deepening academic and scientific cooperation, it added.

The meetings focused on expanding collaboration in key areas including student and faculty exchange programs, scholarship opportunities, joint research initiatives apart from sharing academic expertise.

The participants of the meeting also agreed that each university would appoint a focal person to ensure effective follow-up on commitments made during the visit.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan, the chief guest at the event, praised COMSTECH for offering scholarships, organizing the visit and facilitating meaningful academic exchanges between higher education institutions of the two countries.

In May, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar agreed to strengthen bilateral relationship with Bangladesh and maintain high-level contacts with its leadership.

Pakistan’s government launched a new program in December 2024 through which it will provide fully funded scholarships to 300 Bangladeshi students.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus in New York last year at a ceremony hosted by the Bangladeshi leader to mark the completion of 50 years of Bangladesh’s membership in the United Nations.

Both sides had agreed to forge stronger ties and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields during their meeting.

ISLAMABAD: In its efforts to sell its struggling national airline, Pakistan has received expressions of interest from five parties, including business groups and a military-backed firm, the Privatization Ministry said on Thursday.
The bids were submitted ahead of a June 19 deadline to acquire up to 100 percent of Pakistan International Airlines, which has accumulated over $2.5 billion in losses in roughly a decade.
Still, following a major restructuring, it posted its first operating profit in 21 years in the year through June 2024.
The sale is seen as a test of Pakistan’s ability to shed loss-making state firms and meet conditions of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout. It would be the country’s first major privatization in nearly two decades.
Eight parties submitted their expressions of interest, but only five of them provided documents of qualification, the ministry said in a statement.