RAWALPINDI: Pakistan and Bangladesh have a special relationship and they will stand by each other in every trial and tribulation, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said here tonight [March 6]. He was speaking at a dinner held in his honour by Prince Karim Aga Khan… . Enunciating Pakistan’s foreign policy … the [PM] looked towards the Ambassador of Bangladesh, Mr Zahiruddin … and posed the question: How can one call him an Ambassador? He then remarked he is a brother-in-arms. The remark was greeted by loud applause by the audience of top dignitaries, including Federal Ministers, Members of Parliament, Heads of Diplomatic Missions and a large number of Aga Khan’s followers.

The [PM] said “we have lived and worked together”, and added that there was a special relationship between Pakistan and Bangla­desh. But this relationship, he said, should not be misunderstood by anyone. Bangladesh today was a separate country and we respect its sovereignty. He declared that “we will stand by each other in every moment … just as we did in the glorious struggle for Independence”. Mr Bhutto said the days of 1971 were gone when Pakistan had been a victim of aggression.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026