Second batch of Bangladesh Civil Service officers to undergo two-week programme in Lahore, highlighting growing institutional cooperation between Dhaka and Islamabad
Thirty-four senior Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) officers, including additional secretaries and joint secretaries, left Dhaka for Pakistan on Sunday to participate in a two-week Executive Leadership Training Programme at the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) in Lahore.
Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider was present at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to see off the delegation.
The training programme is part of growing institutional engagement between Bangladesh and Pakistan, particularly in public administration, professional development and knowledge exchange.
Earlier, the Pakistani High Commissioner hosted a dinner in honour of the participating officers, where he described the initiative as an important step towards strengthening bilateral relations through institutional engagement, professional collaboration and people-to-people exchanges.
Highlighting the commitment of the leadership of both countries to expanding bilateral ties, Haider stressed the longstanding historical, cultural and familial connections between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
He also identified significant opportunities to broaden cooperation in education, science and technology, trade, culture, media, climate change and digital governance.
Referring to the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, announced by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar during his visit to Dhaka in August 2025, the High Commissioner said 170 Bangladeshi students had joined leading Pakistani universities in 2026, with another 20 expected to enrol shortly.
He noted that the first batch of 12 senior Bangladeshi civil servants had successfully completed the Executive Leadership Training Programme earlier this year.
The latest delegation is the second batch of Bangladeshi senior officials to participate in the programme, reflecting the expansion of institutional cooperation between the two countries.
The initiative is expected to facilitate professional knowledge sharing, strengthen administrative capacity and create further opportunities for collaboration between the public institutions of Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The growing exchanges in public administration and higher education indicate a broader effort by Dhaka and Islamabad to translate their renewed diplomatic engagement into practical cooperation across multiple sectors.
