B'desh easing visa policy for Pak business leaders to boost trade: High Commissioner
Speaking at a reception hosted by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GTCCI) on Saturday, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan said Dhaka views Pakistan as a gateway to Central Asia.
'We believe in stability and economic growth in the region, which is why we are easing the visa regime for Pakistan, particularly for businessmen,' Khan said. 'Both countries have started granting visas to trade delegations,' he added.
He also said bilateral trade between the two countries is expected to cross USD 1 billion this fiscal year, expressing hope that trade will continue to grow as both nations remain committed to strengthening cooperation.
Speaking at the event, GTCCI President Bau Muneer said that Pakistan and Bangladesh, being the largest economies in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) after India, should utilise regional trade opportunities for mutual benefit.
He said that Bangladesh's GDP has reached USD 437 billion while Pakistan's GDP stands at USD 373 billion. 'It is time we join hands to maximise the trade potential.' After Sheikh Hasina's ouster as the prime minister of Bangladesh last year, the bilateral relations witnessed a thaw with high-level exchanges between the two nations.
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By 2025, this figure is projected to fall further to 64,262 barrels per day — hardly a sign of a booming oil economy. Meanwhile, what truly seems to irk the U.S. — and by extension, Trump — is that India has become the world's fourth-largest economy, trailing only the US, China and Germany. Even more disruptive was India's launch of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) — a revolutionary digital platform that brought cashless convenience to over one billion people, many of whom never had access to traditional banking systems. While much of the developed world remains tethered to credit cards and slow, fee-laden payment models, UPI leapfrogged ahead — empowering everyone from small-time vendors to global entrepreneurs. India's digital economy is flourishing. Per capita income has doubled in the last 11 years, and the country is now a global leader in GDP growth. In such a scenario, calling the Indian economy 'dead' is not just false — it's absurd. 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The Congress and its allies need to understand that secularism does not mean mocking Hinduism at every opportunity. It means equal respect for all religions. But unfortunately, they see religious insult only in Hindu expressions, while bending over backwards to appease others. Their attempts to peddle fear and division have backfired. Even the minorities they claim to champion see through this farce now. The Congress no longer understands the pulse of the people — their outdated politics of appeasement, victimhood, and communal blame-game have rendered them irrelevant in modern India. It's high time the Congress stops pretending to be asleep — or else, they will sleepwalk into another electoral disaster in 2029. (The author is former Chief Editor of The Hans India)
