Dhaka: Bangladesh has formally requested Pakistan to apologize for the genocide committed during the 1971 Liberation War. This demand was made by Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain during a bilateral meeting with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Dhaka on Sunday.
According to a statement from the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed several longstanding issues, including Pakistan’s formal apology for the 1971 genocide, division of assets, the transfer of foreign aid intended for the 1970 cyclone victims, and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis. Bangladesh emphasized the need to resolve these issues promptly to build a strong and forward-looking bilateral relationship.
Ishaq Dar was on a two-day official visit to Bangladesh from August 23 to 24, at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart. On Sunday afternoon, he also met Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
During the visit, Bangladesh and Pakistan signed one bilateral agreement and five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). The signing ceremony, attended by Md Touhid Hossain and Ishaq Dar, included an agreement to waive visas for holders of government and diplomatic passports from both countries.
The MoUs cover cooperation in several areas: forming a joint working group on trade, cultural exchange, collaboration between foreign service academies, partnership between state news agencies, and cooperation between Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI).
Earlier, on Thursday, Pakistan’s Minister of Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce Sk Bashir Uddin held in-depth talks in Dhaka to promote economic cooperation, encourage mutual investments, and strengthen bilateral trade ties, officials said on Friday.
