Bangladesh has firmly rejected Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s claim that Dhaka’s long-standing demand for an apology over the 1971 genocide had already been resolved twice in the past.
Dar, who was on a two-day official visit to Dhaka, marking the first state-level visit by a Pakistani leader in 13 years, told reporters that the matter had been “settled” in 1974 and again in the early 2000s.
He said, “The issue (1971 genocide in Bangladesh) was settled for the first time in 1974. And the document of that time is historic for both countries. Then General Pervez Musharraf came here (to Bangladesh) and resolved the issue openly. As a result, the issue was resolved twice. Once in 1974, and again in the early 2000s.”
His remarks followed a meeting with the interim government’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Hossain at Hotel Sonargaon on Sunday afternoon, local media reported.
Rejecting the Pakistani minister’s comments, Hossain told reporters, “I definitely do not agree. If we had agreed, the problem would have been resolved.”
Hossain reiterated Bangladesh’s stand on three key unresolved issues, which include a formal apology for the 1971 genocide, financial compensation for pre-independence assets, and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.
“We want an accounting, which is a financial solution. We want them to express regret and apologise for the genocide. We want them to take back the stranded people,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper quoted him as saying.
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He added, “You certainly don’t expect that a 54-year-old problem will be resolved in a one-day meeting. We have presented each other’s positions. For bilateral relations to move forward smoothly, these issues must be addressed.”
Following the meeting, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on social media about Dar’s visit but made no mention of the 1971 issues that were raised.
Experts say Dar’s visit reflects the desperation of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to build ties with Pakistan, despite the country’s role in the mass killings of millions of Bangladeshis under ‘Operation Search Light’ in 1971.
Relations between Dhaka and Islamabad hit their lowest point under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, especially after her Awami League government launched war crimes trials in 2010 against collaborators of the Pakistani forces during the Liberation War.
The Awami League condemned Dar’s visit, declaring that “without recognition of genocide, normalisation is betrayal.”
The party also criticised the remarks made in Dhaka, slamming what it called the “anti-Liberation, anti-national illegitimate” Yunus regime for failing to lodge even a minimal protest against Dar’s claim, thereby reducing the issue “into a farce.”
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