|
|
|
| March 12, 2003 | Wednesday | Muharram 8, 1424 |
‘Pakistan-BD ties suffer from Concealment Misinterpretation Syndrome’
ISLAMABAD, March 11: Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh are suffering from the Concealment and Misinterpretation Syndrome (CMS), hiding the facts and occurrences surrounding the episode of 1971.
This was remarked by Shamsul Muktadir, a fellow of Unesco, currently visiting Pakistan while delivering a lecture on “Prospects of Pakistan-Bangladesh ties” at Defence and Strategic Studies department, Quaid-i-Azam University, on Tuesday.
Mr Muktadir, as a nominee of Bangladesh government, is undertaking research in the field of peaceful conflict resolution with special focus on: Conflict management between Bangladesh and Pakistan; finding ways of greater cooperation.
The conflict between Bangladesh and Pakistan means certain unresolved issues that are political in nature, he said, adding after 32 years of separation, the two countries still had some significant unsettled issues.
These issues include objective recognition and admission of the events that took place in the former East Pakistan in 1971, and repatriation of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh.
“The government of Pakistan, especially its army, does not recognises the liberation war of Bangladesh. The facts and occurrences surrounding 1971 liberation are not yet admitted, instead, there has been an attempt to conceal or misinterpret those events”.
Holding Pakistan army responsible for the events that took place in the former East Pakistan, he said, it was military rulers, not Pakistani civil society and politicians who were responsible for the sad event of 1971.
He was of the view that the declaration of independence by East Pakistan was not imported but imposed by Pakistan army, due to its blatant indiscriminate crackdown on the defenceless people, who constituted Pakistan’s majority —- 75 million out of 130 million total population of Pakistan at that time —- forcing 10 million of them to flee to India.
“Pakistan should follow footsteps of Japan, by Asking Unconditional Apology(AUP). Bangladesh should seek relief from the pricks of conscience as demonstrated by Gen Musharraf expressing his regrets, which he had carried for 31 years along with the entire pre-71 generation of Pakistan.”
He said people of Bangladesh considered President Parvez Musharraf to be a courageous and truthful person for expressing regrets over the excesses committed in 71 and being the first Pak army general to place flowers at the national martyrs monuments.
But this should be followed by issuing an official document on behalf of the Pakistan government frankly admitting those excesses; reactivate previously stalled enquiry commissions with immediate effect; document and include in the textbooks of Pakistan the objective and impartial history that had led to the birth of Bangladesh, he added.
He said Pakistan authorities should stop harassing the Bengali speaking people in Pakistan on the question of legality of status until and unless the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh were repatriated.
“Both the governments may consider allowing dual nationality to the people stranded in each other’s territory. This will pave the way for legal transaction of several hundred millions of dollars between the two countries and multifold increase in the trade volume between the tow countries”, he said.
He also proposed the establishment of a Bilateral Investment Agency (BIGA) and the increased cooperation among civil society institutions at the level of national government.
He said under the newly-emerged international arena after 9/11, Pakistan-Bangladesh relations had renewed relevance and both governments should come forward for a better and trustworthy relations.
|
|
|
|
