Pakistani diplomat expelled from Dhaka

Published February 4, 2015
Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have recently been at a low point. -AFP/File
Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have recently been at a low point. -AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: In a fresh diplomatic row between Pakistan and Bangladesh, a Pakistani High Commission official based in Dhaka was declared persona non grata by the Bangladeshi government and was asked to leave the country.

"Diplomatic official Mazhar Khan was charged by Bangladesh's foreign ministry of running an illegal Indian currency business in Dhaka beside alleged links with militants," a diplomatic source told Dawn.com.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam also confirmed the incident and said the official has reached Islamabad.

"Allegations against him are baseless and the incident is unfortunate," she told Dawn.com.

The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka sent Mazhar Khan immediately home after getting orders from Bangladesh's ministry of foreign affairs.

Sources also said the high commission in Dhaka has not only been under pressure due to the incident but is also being closely watched by Bangladeshi secret services.

Relations between the two countries have recently been at a low point.

In January, Bangladeshi police arrested four suspected members of Islamic State in Dhaka including a regional coordinator for the militant group who told police they had been trained in Pakistan.

Read more: Arrested IS suspects in Bangladesh claim training in Pakistan

Tensions have also risen between the two countries over executions carried out by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina against alleged war criminals from the 1971 war, when the former East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

In December 2013, Pakistan’s envoy in Dhaka had been summoned by the govt regarding a resolution adopted by the Pakistani parliament condemning the execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Molla for his involvement in alleged war crimes of 1971.

Read more:Bangladesh grills Pakistan envoy over Molla resolution

Bangladesh's foreign ministry had said that Molla’s trial and punishment was the country’s internal affair and that the resolution adopted by Pakistan’s National Assembly was uncalled for.

Pakistan’s high commissioner in Dhaka, Mian Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi had been summoned to explain the matter.

Pakistan’s armed forces are alleged to have carried out war crimes in 1971 and the Bangladesh government has been seeking a public apology from Pakistan which is yet to abide by the demand of its South Asian neighbour officially.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.