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Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will leave the capital for Islamabad on a three-day official visit at the invitation of her Pakistani counterpart Shaukat Aziz today (Sunday), expecting a positive outcome from the visit, report agencies.
During the tour, she would seek duty-free access of 73 items under nine categories to the Pakistani market and request Islamabad to implement Safta, so that it comes into effect on schedule, according to foreign ministry officials.
Besides, longstanding issues like repatriation of 2,50,000 stranded Pakistanis and apportionment of pre-independence assets would also figure during the official talks, the foreign ministry officials added.
During the visit, Dhaka and Islamabad are expected to sign four memoranda of understanding (MoU) and one agreement, in diverse areas, report agencies.
A bilateral agreement on visa abolition of diplomatic and official passport holders is also on the cards, Pakistan's leading daily the Dawn reported quoting a Pakistani official.
Foreign Minister Morshed Khan, Health Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Agriculture Minister MK Anwar will be on the 43-member entourage of the Prime Minister.
The Khaleda-Saukat summit, to be held in Pakistan capital tomorrow (Monday), would focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, communications, education and cultural sectors.
Dhaka and Islamabad will sign three deals for expansion of bilateral cooperation in agriculture, tourism and export promotion.
In the last fiscal year, Bangladesh imported from Pakistan goods worth US$138.63 million while exports fetched a paltry $ 63 million from that country.
Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of the SAARC, will also exchange views with the Pakistani leaders on implementation of the decisions taken at the 13th SAARC summit in Dhaka in November last year.
She would also call on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.
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