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Musharraf would stop for a few hours in Dhaka and meet Zia to renew Pakistan's close ties with the new Bangladesh prime minister, who is considered to be more favourably disposed to Islamabad than her predecessor Sheikh Hasina Wajed, reports in Islamabad said.
Musharraf's stop over in Dhaka is considered to be significant as his meeting comes weeks ahead of the SAARC summit to be held in Kathmandu in January next year.
According to media reports, Pakistan officials see the return of Zia to power in Dhaka as a major gain in providing larger options for their foreign policy strategy in the region.
Musharraf leaves for China on December 20 on a four-day visit, which officials in Islamabad consider as extremely important in re-vitalising the close relations between the two countries in the light of post-September 11 events.
The war in Afghanistan has brought Islamabad closer to Washington, much to the chagrin of Beijing.
Musharraf's visit is believed to be aimed at re-defining the close ties especially in the fields of defence and regional security.
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