Bangladesh warns Pakistan

Staff Correspondent: The foreign ministry has lodged a strong protest and summoned the Pakistan high commissioner in Dhaka over a video shared on the social media regarding the announcement of Bangladesh’s independence.

Bangladesh has warned Pakistan high commissioner in Dhaka apprehending that relations existing between the two countries may be harmed due to such tendency shown by Pakistan.

High Commissioner of Pakistan Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui answered the summons at a meeting with Kamrul Ahsan, secretary (Bilateral and Consular) of the foreign ministry, on Tuesday, officials said.

The 13:45-minute video had initially been posted on a Facebook Page -- Pakistan Affairs. The video said that ‘Ziaur Rahman, not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, announced Bangladesh’s independence’.

Several Bangladesh media outlets have reported that the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka shared the video on its Facebook page. It was removed from the high commission’s Facebook page after it sparked controversy.

The high commissioner made no comment after emerging from the meeting.

Secretary Ahsan said Bangladesh has warned Pakistan against the distortion of history of Liberation War.

“We told him that if this continues it will harm the relations between the two countries. History is history. One cannot divert it by spreading propaganda.”

The Pakistan high commissioner apologised, saying the incident had been ‘unintentional’ and that they had not ‘understood the situation’, Ahsan said.

risingbd/Dhaka/Oct 31, 2017Saif/Amirul