Bangladesh and Pakistan are set to hold the ninth Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting tomorrow, 20 years after the last JEC, as the two countries are gearing up to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation after the July uprising.

Economic Affairs Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed will lead the Bangladesh delegation in the JEC, while Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik will lead the Pakistan side.

The two countries have been discussing a few memorandums of understanding (MoUs) including on agriculture research, Halal food, IT, shipping etc, according to diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Islamabad.

Those discussions were at the final stage, but it is yet to be confirmed if the MoUs will be signed during the JEC, an official at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) told yesterday.

"When it comes to bilateral trade, it is quite imbalanced, with Pakistan exporting way more to Bangladesh than what Bangladesh exports to Pakistan. We would try to boost exports to Pakistan," he said.

In fiscal 2024-25, Bangladesh imported goods worth $787 million from Pakistan and exported goods worth only $80 million.

Dhaka will seek greater duty- and quota-free access for Bangladeshi products to Pakistan, the ERD official said.

Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik may also call on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.

Earlier this year, Bangladesh and Pakistan held foreign office consultation after 15 years.

Besides, since August last year, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi visited Dhaka.

During this period, Bangladesh's Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain also visited Islamabad.

"We want a normal relationship with Pakistan. Such visits are part of a normal relationship," Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain told reporters last week.

Dhaka wants economic cooperation with Pakistan, which had been somewhat unilaterally stalled for a long time.

"It is in our interest to establish normal relations, especially in the economic field, with Pakistan, and we think we are proceeding that way," Hossain said.

FP/MI