Muhammad Yunus, the interim leader of Bangladesh, declared on Thursday that he has decided to improve ties with Pakistan. During their meeting on the fringes of an Egyptian conference, the two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Yunus and Sharif agreed to improve ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan by increasing trade, commerce, and delegation exchanges in the fields of sports and culture.

The heads of state attended the D8 summit in Cairo, which brought together eight nations with a majority of Muslims. Yunus said that he wanted to settle unresolved issues related to Dhaka's 1971 split from Islamabad. Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, said in a statement that he had a friendly and pleasant conversation with the leader of Bangladesh. Pakistan and Bangladesh were once part of the same country but separated after the 1971 war. Until recently, Bangladesh maintained strong ties with India. However, relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have strained following the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Bangladesh's 54th Victory Day, Nobel laureate Yunus criticised Sheikh Hasina's government, calling it “the world’s worst autocratic government.” Notably, in his speech, Yunus did not mention Bangladesh's founding leader, Mujibur Rahman, who is widely regarded as the key figure in the country's independence movement. Victory Day, or “Bijoy Dibosh,” marks the surrender of Pakistan’s military to Indian forces and Bangladesh’s liberation in 1971. Mujibur Rahman, known as ‘Bangabandhu,’ is an iconic figure of the independence struggle. Sheikh Hasina, his daughter, fled to India on August 5 after large student-led protests against her government. Yunus then took charge as the leader of an interim government. 

Elections might take place by early 2026, Yunus suggested in his nationally televised speech. "From now on, the responsibility has been entrusted to them to start the process of forming the future government. They have started their preparations. They have a lot of work to do," he told a local news agency, referring to the Election Reforms Commission. "We have to make sure that the names of all those who have become eligible to vote in the last 15 years are included in the voters' list. This is a big task," he said.