Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the national standards body, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) to strengthen cooperation on standardization and boost halal product exports between the two countries.

The MoU was signed on Monday during the 9th meeting of the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission held at the NEC Conference Room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed led the Bangladesh delegation, while Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Parvez Malik headed the delegation from his country.

On behalf of Bangladesh, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industries Maksura Noor and on behalf of Pakistan, the country’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, signed the document.

Under the agreement, halal-certified products approved by BSTI will be eligible for export to Pakistan without additional testing, while products certified by Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) will also be accepted in Bangladesh without retesting.

Officials said the MoU aims to facilitate trade in halal products, promote bilateral cooperation on quality assurance, and strengthen overall trade relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Salehuddin said the meeting discussed several key areas of cooperation to enhance bilateral ties and expressed optimism about revitalizing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He also hoped the initiative would contribute to stronger people-to-people connections between the two nations.

Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Parvez Malik said the agreement will open new opportunities for halal trade between the two countries.

According to the MoU, any halal product certified by BSTI will be accepted in Pakistan, and similarly, Bangladesh will accept halal certifications issued by PHA,” he said.