A joint economic commission meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan will be held in Dhaka today after two decades of holding such a meeting.
Interim government鈥檚 finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed will lead the Bangladesh side while the visiting side will be led by Pakistan鈥檚 minister for petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, according to Economic Relations Division officials.
The meeting will start at 9.30am at the National Economic Council conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at Agargaon in the capital Dhaka.
A number of memorandums of understanding are likely to be signed during the meeting, said the officials, adding that discussions were going on concerning areas like agriculture research, information technology, shipping and food.
The JEC engagement is a sequel to the commerce ministry-level bilateral meeting held in Dhaka in August, almost one year after the ouster of the Awami League regime in a mass uprising.
At the meeting, both the sides agreed to revitalise the JEC, a key forum for officials and policymakers to discuss and exchange information on trade and economic issues.
Economic Relations Division officials said that the last and the eighth JEC meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan was held in Dhaka on September 12, 2005.
Despite an inactive JEC, trade engagement by private sectors of both the countries has continued, but the trade balance has remained unfavourable to Bangladesh.
Dhaka imported goods worth $787 million from Pakistan against exports of $78 million in the 2024-25 financial year.
In FY24, the imports totalled at $661 million against the exports of $56 million.
Bangladesh imports mainly garment raw materials, leather, clinker, fabrics, cotton, onions and potatoes from Pakistan and exports tea, readymade garments and raw jute to the country.
In order to promote trade and economic relations, both Dhaka and Islamabad have eased the visa issuance process recently and pledged the maximum facilities for businesses from both sides.