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Pak PM’s bilateral visit

Boosting trade ties to dominate talks

By M Anwarul Haq
Expansion of trade and settlement of outstanding issues will dominate the official talks during the bilateral visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Newaz Sharif.
The Pakistan premier will stay back for a two-day bilateral visit on November 24 and 25 after attending the Three NaUon Business Summit in Dhaka on November 23.
Newaz Sharif, who will be accompanied by Begum Qulsom Newaz Sharif, will head a 12-member official delegation that
will include foreign minister Gauhar Ayub Khan, finance minister Sartaz Aziz and commerce minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Sharif and his entourage will arrive in the city in the morning of November 23.
A 35-member business dele-Ktlon headed by President of e Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Senator Bilour, which will attend the Business summit, will stay back for interaction with the local business community during the bilateral visit.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his Pakistani counterpart will hold official talks on November 24. The entire gamut of bilateral relations will come up for discussions.
The two prime ministers will discuss expansion of bilateral trade links and opening a regular shipping service between Chittagong and Karachi. They will also discuss the prospects of Joint ventures.
The issue of repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, popularly known as Biharis, will also be mooted. Bangladesh will insist that the process of repatriation of stranded Pakistanis be resumed.
Repatriation of stranded Pakistanis had taken place only once in the last 20 years and it was in January, 1993. This followed a Joint announcement made by the then Bangladesh premier Begum Khaleda Zia and Newaz Sharif, who was premier also at that time.
After the repatriation of only 325 stranded Pakistanis in 1993. an estimated 2.38.000
continue to live in some 60 camps in Bangladesh.
According to the agreement reached between Begum Zia and Newaz Sharif in Islamabad during the former's official visit to Pakistan. 3000 people were to be repatriated by December 31, 1992. But not a single person could go after the first batch had left.
The initial repatriation process that had begun after the independence of Bangladesh was suspended in 1974. At that time, some 4000 families were sent back to Pakistan.
The government and the stranded people are hopeful that the Pakistani premier, who had initiated a process earlier, will resume it.
Incidentally, the then Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto, during an official visit to Dhaka in October. 1988. refused to talk to representatives of the stranded people and termed them Biharis. not Pakistanis Biharis.'
Discussions on sharing of assets and liabilities are also on the official agenda but it was not known if the government had prepared a policy approach paper on the issue.