Bangladesh has demanded an apology for the 1971 genocide from Pakistan and urged it to resolve long-standing historical issues during Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to the South Asian country, media reports said.
Dar has refused to apologise.
He is the senior-most Pakistani leader to visit Bangladesh in more than a decade.
During a meeting between Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Dar in Dhaka, Bangladesh also called for the transfer of foreign aid allocated for the victims of the 1970 cyclone and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, reported The Business Standard.
Meanwhile, Dar claimed that two of the three unresolved issues from 1971, including an apology from Pakistan for the genocide, had already been addressed.
Hossain, however, said Bangladesh did not agree with his claim.
“As for the unresolved issues, I want to say that the matter was first settled in 1974. The document of that time is historic for both countries,” Dar said while speaking to reporters, as quoted by The Business Standard.
“Later, General Pervez Musharraf came here and openly and candidly resolved the matter. So, the issue has been resolved twice – once in 1974 and again in the early 2000s,” he added.
Responding to Dar’s claim, Hossain told reporters: “Certainly not. We have presented our position, and they have presented theirs.”
Dar on Sunday met Bangladeshi interim government chief Muhammad Yunus during his visit to Dhaka, where he stressed the need to revitalise regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
The relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh has improved since the former PM Sheikh Hasina-led government was toppled amid severe protests against her regime on August 5, 2024.
As per the Pakistani Foreign Office’s X post, Dar and Yunus’ discussion covered the revival of old connections between the two countries, promoting youth linkages, enhancing connectivity, and augmenting trade and economic cooperation.
The Foreign Office said that recent developments in the region and the prospects for regional cooperation were also discussed.
“The DPM/FM conveyed the Prime Minister’s greetings for the Chief Adviser. He apprised the Chief Adviser of his engagements in Dhaka and the key outcomes of his visit. He also thanked the Chief Adviser for the excellent visit arrangements and the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation during the course of visit,” the X post said.
