Dhaka University (DU) has lifted its ban on all ties with Pakistan, allowing academic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The decision was made during a syndicate meeting on November 13 and came to light on Monday (November 18).

In 2015, DU severed all relations with Pakistan through an emergency syndicate meeting, citing Pakistan's denial of the genocide carried out during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971, particularly on the DU campus.

With the ban now lifted, Pakistani students will be allowed to study at Dhaka University, while DU students can pursue higher education in Pakistan. The university can also engage in academic and cultural collaborations with Pakistani institutions.

DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Saima Haque Bidisha said, “As an academic institution, many of our students seek scholarships or opportunities to attend conferences. Considering this perspective, the syndicate decided to normalize ties.”

In 2015, then-Vice-Chancellor Prof. AAMS Arefin Siddique had said that Dhaka University could not maintain any relationship with a state that denied its involvement in genocide and atrocities during the Liberation War. He added that no DU student would pursue higher studies in Pakistan, nor would the university accept Pakistani students.

The recent decision to restore relations was taken in a syndicate meeting chaired by the current Vice-Chancellor Prof. Niaz Ahmad Chowdhury.

Earlier, on September 5, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof, met Prof. Niaz Ahmad Khan at his office, marking the first such meeting in nearly a decade.

BDST: 2027 HRS, NOV 18, 2024
MSK