For the first time since 1971, Bangladesh has lifted the visa requirement for Pakistani officials for a period of five years.

According to foreign media, individuals holding diplomatic and official passports from both Bangladesh and Pakistan will no longer require a visa to travel between the two countries.

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, has approved this mutual visa exemption agreement.

His press secretary, Shafique Islam, announced at a news conference in Dhaka that similar agreements already exist between Bangladesh and 31 other countries.

Shafique Islam stated that under this agreement, Pakistani officials will also be granted visa-free entry into Bangladesh.

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The development follows last month’s meeting in Dhaka between Bangladeshi Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, during which the two sides said they were finalising a memorandum of understanding for visa-on-arrival for official passport holders.

Visa-free entry between the two South Asian nations was suspended after the 1971 war.

Ties between Dhaka and Islamabad have improved in recent months. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan arrived in Dhaka late Wednesday for a four-day official visit from August 21 to 24.

The visit aims to strengthen bilateral trade ties and boost economic cooperation, according to an official statement.