Key Points

Dar, also Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on August 23 for a two-day bilateral visit, marking the first trip by any Pakistani Foreign Minister in the past three decades.

“Despite the geographical distance and the historical overhang of atrocities committed by Pakistan during the 1971 India-Pakistan conflict, Dhaka and Islamabad have been busy repairing bilateral relations since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024,” a report in Northeast News mentioned.

“While military and political alliances are increasing, Pakistan has yet to express remorse or apologise for the genocide of 1971. Instead, Pakistan-based media outlets are publishing articles calling for reclaiming Bangladesh as a revenge for Pakistan’s defeat in the 1971 war with India," it added

Over three million people were killed and more than 300,000 women were raped by the Pakistani Army during the 1971 genocide. Since the carnage, the people of Bangladesh have consistently demanded that Pakistan apologise for its barbarity.

Yet the demand of the common Bangladeshis, the report said, remains unmet to date. It asserted that the Pakistani Army’s hands are stained with the blood of millions of Bengalis, and its local collaborators Razakar Al-Badr, can never be forgiven for their atrocities.

The report emphasised that Pakistani army officials continue to resist offering an apology for the genocide of 1971. Pakistan, branded as the hub of jihadists, now appears desperate to use Bangladesh as a tool in its larger conspiracy of destabilising India. It highlighted that the recent remarks by senior Pakistan army officials announcing that in any future conflict, Pakistan would strike India from the “East” expose their sinister design of turning Bangladesh into a base for their anti-India activities.

“Pakistan wants to use the soil of Bangladesh for its radical anti-India efforts. However, historically, Bangladesh has had a friendly relationship with India. Delhi is the first to extend a helping hand in any crisis faced by Bangladesh. Bangladeshi patients have the highest trust in Indian hospitals. But Pakistan is trying to poison this relationship. Pakistan is once again using its proxies to issue provocative statements against India, to drive a wedge between India and Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the interim government is playing the role of a silent spectator without reacting,” the report noted.

- IANS