Bangladesh Requests Duty-Free Access at Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission Meeting in Dhaka

Staff Reporter | PNN:

After nearly two decades, the 9th Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan was held in Agargaon, Dhaka. On Monday, 27 October, during the meeting, Bangladesh requested duty-free and quota-free access for its products in the Pakistani market.

The main objective of the meeting was to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Discussions also focused on several sectors, including agricultural research, halal food, information technology (IT), and maritime transport, with talks on potential Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

After the nearly three-hour-long meeting, Bangladesh’s Economic Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed and Pakistan’s Minister of Energy Ali Pervez Malik spoke to the media. Economic Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed mentioned that discussions included expanding maritime and air connectivity and efforts to revive SAARC.

Pakistan’s Minister Ali Pervez Malik stated, “These discussions will strengthen relations between the peoples of both countries and further solidify bilateral ties.” He also noted that imports of jute and pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh were discussed.

The Department of Economic Relations highlighted that there is currently a significant trade deficit between the two countries. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, Bangladesh imported $787 million worth of goods from Pakistan, while exporting only $80 million worth of products in return.

This meeting is considered an important step for Bangladesh-Pakistan commercial relations, and it is expected that economic ties between the two countries may deepen further in the future.