Bangladesh and Pakistan bolster ties but war apology 'unresolved'

This handout photograph taken and released by Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 23, 2025 shows Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam (L) receiving Ishaq Dar (2L), Pakistan's Foreign Minister, at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. Pakistan's foreign minister flew to Bangladesh on August 23 as the nations, once bitter enemies after they split in 1971, seek to rebuild ties with regional power balances shifting. - Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh and Pakistan, once bitter enemies after they split in 1971, agreed Sunday to bolster long-strained relations, including increasing trade.

But Dhaka said a key issue, of wanting an apology from Islamabad for atrocities during the war when East Pakistan broke away to form Bangladesh, remained "unresolved".