Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commissioner Sakib Sadakat has said a proposal for a one-year multiple-entry Bangladesh visa for Pakistanis engaged in trade will be considered, after chemicals and dyes merchants in Karachi raised problems with single-entry travel.
Speaking to a delegation of the Pakistan Chemicals and Dyes Merchants Association (PCDMA), he said Dhaka wants to expand bilateral trade and deepen ties with Pakistan. He also said recommendations from the association would be given priority as the visa idea is examined.
PCDMA flags single-entry hurdles
The meeting was led by PCDMA Chairman Muhammad Saleem Mukati. Also present were Senior Vice Chairman Shahid Bashir, Vice Chairman Muhammad Amir Bhatti, former chairmen Salim Valimuhammad and Mahmood Salam, and Waqar Ahmed.
Mukati told the envoy that Pakistani chemicals traders already have substantial commercial links with Bangladesh. The side asked for contact details of Bangladeshi chemicals and dyes traders to be shared so both sides can grow the trade volume. Stronger direct links between businesses, he said, would create more commercial openings.
The association said single-entry visas make it hard for Pakistani traders to travel repeatedly, scout markets and hold business-to-business (B2B) meetings without starting the visa process again each time. Members argued that one-year multiple-entry permission would ease those trips and could lift exports in a way that benefits both economies.
Facilitation for visits and B2B meetings
Sadakat encouraged Pakistani businesspeople to travel to Bangladesh and take part in trade exhibitions. He said the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission would help arrange such visits and set up B2B meetings with Bangladeshi counterparts.
That assurance sits alongside the Bangladesh visa for Pakistanis discussion: traders want fewer paperwork loops, while the mission has pledged practical help on the ground once visits are planned.
Wider push on trade platforms
In separate remarks at a Karachi seminar on Pakistan–Bangladesh economic cooperation, organised by the Economic Diplomacy Forum (EDF) with the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Muhammad Sakib Sadakat pointed to sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, agriculture, information technology and services as areas for joint work. He also mentioned plans for a Pakistan–Bangladesh Joint Business Council and the first meeting of a Joint Trade Commission as structured channels for partners and market information.
An MoU was signed at that event between the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi and EDF Pakistan to support networking, seminars, delegations and the exchange of commercial information. Sadakat signed for the mission and Dr Muhammad Farooq Afzal for EDF.
No decision date for the one-year visa proposal was announced; for now it remains under consideration, with traders’ concerns on the record.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Bangladesh ke envoy ne kaha hai ke Pakistani traders ke liye ek saal ka multiple-entry visa socha ja sakta hai. Abhi yeh faisla nahi hua, sirf ghaur ki baat hai. Chemical aur dyes ke tajir single-entry ki wajah se bar bar visa ki mushkil batate hain. Agar yeh visa mile to unke liye Bangladesh jaana aur business milna asaan ho sakta hai.
