Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is likely to undertake bilateral visits to both India and Pakistan late January or in February.

"The Prime Minister may be free to undertake the overdue visits during that time, and we're working on it," the private UNB news agency quoted a "competent" official source as saying.

The source could not say which country Zia will be visiting first. "We've conveyed our intention to both the governments of India and Pakistan, and the dates will be fixed on mutual convenience," he said.

No formal response from New Delhi and Islamabad has yet reached Dhaka.