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Dhaka may demand apology from Islamabad for its ‘71 atrocities
Online Desk | Update: 20:27, Aug 30, 2016
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Bangladesh will raise the long-pending issue of seeking unconditional and formal apology from Pakistan for the barbarities of its forces on innocent Bangladeshi civilians in 1971 during the next round of Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) to be held here on Thursday, reports UNB news agency.
Bangladesh will also raise Pakistan’s repeated ‘brazen attempts’ to meddle in internal affairs centring on trials for crimes against humanity seeking an end to such interference as the trial is a people’s demand, a diplomat told UNB on Tuesday.
Talking to this correspondent, a senior foreign ministry official, however, said the FOC is taking place after a long six-year gap, it will be a ‘friendliness’ one.
As review plea against death for a Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali was dismissed on Tuesday, now there is no bar to the start of process for executing Quasem.
Bangladesh does not want to see any reaction from Pakistan on this issue this time as it had reacted in past cases, sources at the ministry said.
Another official told UNB that trade and investment issues with focus on simplifying process, enhancing cultural exchange, visa process, stranded Pakistani issue and other unresolved ones will come up in ‘different shapes’ during the discussion.
Holding trial of the accused 195 military personnel for their brutal role in 1971 and giving compensation to the victim families in Bangladesh may also be discussed in the FOC.
Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary arrives in Dhaka on Wednesday to hold the FOC with his Bangladesh counterpart M Shahidul Haque. Chaudhary will lead a four-member delegation.
Bangladesh high commissioner in Islamabad Tarik Ahsan is already in Dhaka to join the Bangladesh delegation, said an official.
Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the foreign ministry with foreign secretary Shahidul Haque in the chair on Tuesday.
The planned FOC was cancelled several times for various reasons, including diplomatic row between the two countries, following the trial for the crimes against humanity in Bangladesh.
The last bilateral consultation between the countries was held in Islamabad in 2010. Then foreign secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes led the Bangladesh side in the talks.
Asked whether the recent development following Balochistan issue would have any negative impact on the upcoming FOC in Dhaka, the foreign ministry official said there will be no negative impact.
Recently, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Bangladesh high commissioner in Islamabad Tarik Ahsan to know about the recent comment made by information minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Balochistan during his visit to India.
Speaking to Indian daily The Hindu on 17 August, Inu said Balochistan was facing the brunt of Pakistan’s military establishment, which ‘targeted’ the Bengalis in East Pakistan in 1971 before the creation of Bangladesh.
“Pakistan has a very bad track record as far as addressing aspiration of nationalities is concerned. They learnt nothing from the defeat of 1971 and continued to practise the same policy of repression and are now targeting the Baloch nationalists,” Inu said.
“Bangladesh is constitutionally bound to support liberation struggles and we’ll soon declare an official policy on Balochistan,” he added.
http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/118807/Dhaka-may-demand-apology-from-Islamabad-for-its
