A 34-member delegation of senior Bangladesh Civil Service officials left Dhaka for Pakistan on Sunday to attend a two-week Executive Leadership Training Programme at the National School of Public Policy in Lahore.

The delegation, made up of additional secretaries and joint secretaries, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, where Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, was present to see them off, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

The programme is the second batch under an initiative aimed at strengthening institutional cooperation between the two countries. A first batch of 12 senior Bangladeshi civil servants completed the executive leadership training earlier this year.

Second batch under the Knowledge Corridor

The training falls under the Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor, which was announced by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, during his visit to Dhaka in August 2025.

Speaking about the programme, Haider described it as an important initiative to strengthen bilateral ties through institutional engagement, professional collaboration and people-to-people exchanges. He said the leadership of both countries was committed to expanding cooperation, particularly in public administration.

He also named education, science and technology, trade, culture, media, climate change and digital governance as areas where the two sides could work more closely together.

Haider said 170 Bangladeshi students had joined leading Pakistani universities in 2026, with another 20 expected to enrol shortly, as part of the same Knowledge Corridor effort.

What the course covers

The 14-day programme runs from 9 to 22 November at the National School of Public Policy in Lahore. It covers how Pakistan conducts administration and development work, along with good governance, human resource management and government policy strategies, according to reporting on the programme.

Pakistan is covering the cost of travel, accommodation and training for the participants, and the officials are expected to submit a report within five working days of their return.

The first batch trained at the Civil Services Academy in Lahore from 4 to 21 May, in what was reported as the first structured programme of its kind between the two countries in decades.

A wider shift in Dhaka's training ties

The exchange comes as Bangladesh reassesses its external partnerships. Since the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024, no Bangladeshi officials have been sent to India for training, according to reporting on the shift, and Lahore has become the alternative venue for senior civil service courses.

No formal bilateral agreement on the training exists yet. Officials have described the current exchanges as a step towards mutual understanding, with a formal memorandum of understanding expected later.

The high commissioner had earlier hosted a dinner in honour of the participants before their departure, underlining the importance both sides attach to the initiative.