Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh foreign advisor M Touhid Hossain seem to disagree on whether the issues after the 1971 war were settled or not.
Dar, who is visiting Dhaka, claimed that the issues were resolved twice, first in 1974 in tri-partite talks involving New Delhi in India, adding, “Later, the then president Pervez Musharraf settled the issues of genocide again during his Dhaka visit when he talked in public with an open mind.”
Hossain, however, disagreed with this assertion, saying it is wrong to expect problems of 54 years to be solved in one day. “Definitely I don’t agree (with Dar). Had it been so, the problems would have been solved. We explained our position and they (Pakistani side) did theirs,” he was reportedly quoted as saying by Prothom Alo.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have historically been turbulent, and was it its lowest when Sheikh Hasina was Prime Minister. However, she was ousted after a violent student-led uproar in August last year, making way for the Mohammad Yunus-led government.
With Ishaq Dar in Dhaka, both countries aimed to ease tensions to move their bilateral relationship ahead, for which they agreed that resolving historical issues was important.
Bangladesh raised some pending issues, including an apology for the 1971 war, with Ishaq Dar. “We have raised unresolved issues such as an apology or expression of regret for 1971, claims over assets, and the matter of stranded Pakistani citizens (with Dar),” Hossain told reporters.
In April this year too, Dhaka sought a formal apology for the 1971 Liberation War “genocide”, asking Pakistan to resolve unsettled historical issues and settle pre-independence asset sharing.
Ishaq Dar is the most senior leader from Pakistan to visit Dhaka since 2012. Before him, Hina Rabbani Khar, who held the post before him, visited Bangladesh in 2012 to invite Hasina for a summit.
“Both countries have presented their respective positions on these issues,” Bangladesh’s foreign adviser said at a press conference.
Bangladesh and Pakistan also signed one agreement and five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) during Dar’s visit. They reportedly reiterated their pledges to strengthen the existing multidimensional and historical bilateral ties based on mutual respect and cooperation.
(With PTI inputs)
