DHAKA, Oct 27, 2025 (BSS) – Dhaka and Islamabad have agreed to strengthen further cooperation in various sectors like trade, agriculture, IT, food, energy, pharmaceutical and connectivity as the 9th meeting of the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) was held in the capital today. 

The 9th JEC meeting, first of its kind after two decades, also marked a significant step towards strengthening bilateral and regional economic cooperation between the two countries. 

The meeting was held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

The last JEC meeting between the two South Asian nations took place in 2005, and the revival of the platform after 20 years was described by both sides as a “remarkable development” in their economic relations.

Bangladesh Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed and the visiting Pakistan Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik led their respective delegations in the meeting. 

Senior officials of ministries and agencies concerned of both the countries relating to trade, commerce, agriculture, information technology, aviation, and maritime affairs attended the meeting.

Talking to media after the meeting, Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said the discussions covered a wide range of issues, including agriculture, trade, commerce, IT, food, aviation, and shipping — all aimed at improving the livelihoods of people in both the countries.

“This is a very important meeting. After 20 years, we’ve resumed our economic dialogue with Pakistan, and it has been a very successful one,” he said. 

“We have discussed cooperation in agriculture, IT, food, maritime transport, and other areas that can benefit both the nations,” he added.

The Finance Adviser emphasized that Bangladesh’s approach is not confined to bilateral engagement alone. “We want to move towards regional cooperation as well,” he noted. 

“If South Asian countries can collaborate in this manner, it will be better for everyone. We’ve requested to make this cooperation framework even stronger,” he said.

The Finance Adviser added that designated focal points will be set up in ministries including Civil Aviation and Maritime Affairs to follow up on the areas discussed.

In response to a media query about trade targets, he said the meeting did not set any specific goals. 

“I can’t mention any specific figure right now because these are mostly … The respective ministries and agencies will follow up on agriculture, research, food processing, and IT-related cooperation,” he said.

Visiting Pakistan Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik lauded the Bangladesh side for hosting the meeting and steering the process forward after such a long interval.

“Holding a JEC meeting after 20 years is indeed significant. We want to build on this positive momentum for the mutual benefits of both the countries,” he added.
Malik said that a lot of convergence in various areas has been attained under this platform and both the nations planned to make tangible progress for the betterment of people of both the countries.

“We’ll try to operationalize this cooperation and to ensure next time when we congregate at JEC...We have achieved tangible progress on the targets that we have set for both our countries,” he added.

Responding to a query on minimizing the existing trade gap, Malik noted that the current trade volume between Bangladesh and Pakistan is less than one billion dollars despite both the nations having large populations and complementary with each other. 

“We should work to increase our trade volume and support the development of each others’ …,” he added.

He said that there are many areas beyond jute as Pakistan continues to import from Bangladesh while Pakistan would also look forward to agricultural cooperation to tap the potentials and to source additional agricultural products.

The Pakistani Minister said that his country would continue importing from Bangladesh and explore new areas of cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, power, and energy. 

“Insha Allah, we’ll try to expand and move beyond jute and obviously jute will remain as a main stake of this cooperation,”

He also mentioned that both the sides would hold further discussions on energy cooperation later in the day.

Referring to the recent high-level exchange of visits between the two countries, Malik said, “The Honourable Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Bangladesh in August and both the countries have continued to engage at the highest levels in multilateral forums. We believe this spirit of friendship and cooperation will continue to build...Insha Allah, we’ll build on this positive momentum.”

Both the sides also agreed to continue working towards expanding trade and investment opportunities, operationalizing the agreed areas of cooperation, and preparing for the next JEC meeting with measurable progress on identified targets, he said.

The Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between Bangladesh and Pakistan is a bilateral forum to enhance cooperation in different areas like in trade, investment, agriculture, energy, and technology. 

The resumption of the JEC in 2025 marks a renewed commitment to building economic and regional linkages.