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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh discussed enhanced defense and security cooperation on Friday during a meeting between senior army officials in Rawalpindi, the Pakistani military said.

Bangladesh witnessed a major political change last year when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a popular uprising against her government.

Hasina, long seen as close to India and critical of Pakistan, fled to New Delhi after her fall, putting pressure on Dhaka’s ties with India. The shift also opened space for Pakistan and Bangladesh — one nation until the bloody 1971 war of independence — to edge closer again, with senior officials from both sides meeting more frequently at global forums.

The meeting between Lt. Gen. Md. Faizur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Quarter Master General, and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza took place against this backdrop of improving relations.

“During the meeting, both sides discussed the prevailing security environment in the region and laid emphasis on shared resolve for enhancing existing cooperation in defense and security domain,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

It added that Mirza “highlighted the rising trajectory of bilateral relations between both the countries and identified new avenues of defense cooperation.”

ISPR said the visiting Bangladeshi official lauded the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in the fight against militant violence.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also met Bangladeshi High Commissioner Md. Iqbal Hussain Khan in Islamabad, expressing satisfaction at the revival of bilateral mechanisms to rebuild ties.

The envoy, according to a statement released later by Sharif’s office, briefed him on steps being taken to ease travel, trade and connectivity and voiced his intent to “further strengthen the historic bonds of friendship.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday warned Israel is planning to entrench its occupation of Palestinian territories in complete disregard of international law and global efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, citing recent statements by Israeli leaders indicating expansionist ambitions.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a media outlet he felt a “deep connection” to the vision of a “Greater Israel,” referencing his country’s rule not only over the occupied Palestinian territories but also parts of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Separately, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israeli government would expand settlement construction in the occupied West Bank to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”

Addressing a weekly media briefing in Islamabad, foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan condemned the remarks, calling them a violation of international law and an attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians.

“Such statements reflect the occupying power’s intention to entrench its illegal occupation, as well as its complete contempt for all international efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the region,” Khan said.

“The international community must take immediate and tangible measures to prevent the occupying power from further destabilizing the region and to end its ongoing crimes and atrocities against Palestinians,” he continued.

Khan added that Pakistan rejects Israel’s expansionist narrative, calling it a violation of the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions.

“Pakistan reaffirms its full support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including the right to self-determination and establishment of an independent, viable and contiguous state of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he said.

In a joint statement issued earlier in August, the foreign ministers of Arab and other Muslim countries denounced Netanyahu’s “Greater Israel” remark, calling it “a direct threat to Arab national security, to the sovereignty of states, and to regional and international peace and security.”

The comments also prompted Jordan to reactivate mandatory military service for its citizens, a move seen as a response to rising regional tensions.