Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening ties with Bangladesh during a meeting with Bangladesh’s Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, in Islamabad, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO).
Dr Hossain was visiting Pakistan to attend the 9th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministerial Conference on Women, being held in Islamabad.
Dr. A. Z. M. Zahid Hossain, Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare of Bangladesh, called on the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 last evening.
Welcoming Dr. Hossain to Pakistan for the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women… pic.twitter.com/6Y8dLZKOe2
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 14, 2026
Welcoming the Bangladeshi minister, Dar appreciated Bangladesh’s participation in the conference and reaffirmed “Pakistan’s commitment to advancing cooperation on women’s empowerment within the OIC framework and beyond,” according to the FO.
Recalling his visit to Dhaka last August, Dar also reaffirmed “Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations” and underscored “its readiness to expand cooperation across diverse fields of mutual interest”.
The two leaders also exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation in trade, education, social welfare, and people-to-people contacts, the FO said.
The Ninth Ministerial Conference on Women of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Monday adopted the Islamabad Declaration, reaffirming member states’ commitment to the social, economic, and political empowerment of women and girls while launching a new initiative to promote digital inclusion for women across the Muslim world.
Read: OIC confab adopts Islamabad Declaration
According to the Islamabad Declaration, available on the OIC’s official website, ministers and heads of delegations pledged to further strengthen policies and institutional mechanisms to ensure the effective and meaningful participation of women in political, economic and public life.
The declaration urged member states to remove barriers to women’s education and employment, expand access to quality education, technical and vocational training, and leadership development opportunities, and promote women’s economic stability by improving access to jobs, financial resources, entrepreneurship support and social protection systems.
It also stressed the need to promote inclusive financial systems, including Islamic finance, microfinance and digital financial services, while recommending improved access to capital, innovation and trade opportunities for women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The declaration described women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies as critical.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneWeb DeskRead More