ISLAMABAD: Fifteen leading Pakistani companies will today, Thursday, take part in Leathertech Bangladesh, a major leather-industry trade exhibition in Dhaka that brings together regional manufacturers, exporters and buyers of leather goods, tanning chemicals, machinery and footwear products, the Pakistan High Commission said.
Pakistan and Bangladesh have been working to ease decades of strained ties rooted in the events of 1971, when Bangladesh, which was formerly a part of Pakistan, became independent following a bloody war. The legacy of that conflict, including calls in Bangladesh for a formal apology, has long cast a shadow over diplomatic, economic and cultural engagement between the two countries.
Relations have begun to shift following political turmoil in Dhaka last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted after mass protests and fled to India, Pakistan’s neighbor and archhrival. The change in leadership has opened space for both countries to rebuild dialogue, with recent high-level exchanges focusing on trade, investment, shipping connectivity and the possible resumption of direct flights.
“A delegation of 15 leading Pakistani companies will be participating in the exhibition,” the Pakistan High Commission said in its media invite to the event, adding that Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof, would inaugurate the Pakistan Pavilion on Thursday.
