Pakistan, Bangladesh begin direct trade with rice exports

Bangladesh and Pakistan have started direct government-to-government trade after decades of troubled relations with imports of 50,000 tonnes of rice, Dhaka said on Tuesday. The two countries have witnessed a thaw in ties after the ouster of India-aligned premier Sheikh Hasina. Long-time Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in an August 2024 revolution, fleeing by helicopter to her old ally India, where she has defied extradition requests to face charges of crimes against humanity. Relations between India and Bangladesh’s new government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to slowly rebuild ties. Direct private trade between the countries restarted in November 2024, when a container ship sailed from Pakistan’s Karachi to Bangladesh’s Chittagong. It was the first cargo ship in decades to sail directly between the countries. “For the first time we are importing 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan, and it is the first government-to-government ...