In a move highlighting the strengthening ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on November 8 for a four-day official visit — the highest-level defence engagement since the Mohammad Yunus-led interim regime took office on August 8, 2024.
Admiral Ashraf’s visit comes amid a flurry of recent high-level exchanges between the two nations, signaling a potential revival of military cooperation. On November 3, a three-member Bangladesh Army delegation led by Major General Mashrur Rahman, Adjutant General, travelled to Rawalpindi for a bilateral staff-level meeting.
This followed the visit of Pakistan’s Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who toured Dhaka and Sylhet between October 24 and 28, further consolidating institutional linkages between the two armed forces.
Delegation details and reception plans
According to intelligence sources in Dhaka, the Bangladesh government plans to accord a “red carpet welcome” to Admiral Ashraf and his delegation.
The visiting team includes his spouse Fouzia Naveed and four senior Pakistan Navy officers — Commodore Adnan Laghari, Captain Ejaz Ahmed, Lieutenant Commander Pushteban Arbab, and Lieutenant Commander Usman Tariq Awan.
They will be accommodated at Radisson Blu Hotel in Dhaka, where arrangements have been made to provide strictly halal cuisine.
Meetings and official engagements
On November 9, Admiral Ashraf will receive a guard of honour at the Bangladesh Naval Headquarters, followed by official talks with Bangladesh Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan.
Later that day, he is scheduled to meet Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus before departing for Chittagong, where he will stay overnight at the Boat Club.
On November 10, the admiral will visit BNS Issa Khan, Bangladesh’s second-largest naval base, for a series of meetings with the Chattogram Naval Area Commander and Area Superintendent Dockyard.
His itinerary is expected to include visits to Pekua, near Cox’s Bazar, home to a major submarine base, as well as Chittagong Port and other naval installations. The delegation will return to Dhaka later that evening.
Final day in Dhaka
On November 11, Admiral Ashraf will hold meetings with Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Lieutenant General S. M. Kamrul Hassan, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division.
His day will conclude with a round of golf at Kurmitola Golf Club, followed by dinner at Pakistan House.
Notably, sources confirmed that the Pakistani delegation will not meet Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman during the visit.
The team is scheduled to depart for Islamabad on November 12 afternoon via Thai Airways flight TG-322.
Strategic implications
Though official briefings have not disclosed the precise agenda of the Chittagong leg, defence analysts suggest that the visit signifies expanding strategic and naval cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The development is being closely monitored in New Delhi, amid shifting regional alignments and the evolving dynamics of South Asian defence diplomacy.
Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!
Several Indian cricketers have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for months for investigation related to a money laundering case linked to the...
