Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar has postpones his scheduled visit to Bangladesh. The decision was confirmed in an official statement released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
“Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will not be able to undertake his visit to Bangladesh on April 27-28,” the statement said.
It added that new dates for the visit will be set through mutual consultation.
Diplomatic sources suggest that the cancellation is closely linked to the recent surge in India-Pakistan tensions.
On Tuesday, at least 26 people were killed in an attack in Pahalgam, a region under Indian control in Kashmir. The incident once again flared tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Indian police have named three suspects in connection with the attack, identifying two as Pakistani nationals.
In response to the attack, India on Thursday suspended visa issuance for Pakistani nationals. A day earlier (April 23), it had announced five punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the Attari border crossing, and a reduction in diplomatic staff at the High Commission in Islamabad.
In retaliation, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian commercial flights and rejected India’s suspension of the water-sharing agreement.
Islamabad has termed India’s responses “overreactions” that threaten regional stability.
Against this backdrop, the postponement of the Pakistani Deputy PM’s Bangladesh visit underscores how the Kashmir conflict is spilling over into wider South Asian diplomatic dynamics, analysts say.
