Pakistan - Unending resentment

The expulsion of a Pakistan embassy official from Bangladesh has caused a great furore in government circles. Pakistan’s relations with the government of Bangladesh led by Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina Wajid are already at a low point due to her perceived tilt towards India. Our foreign ministry has refuted the charges levelled by the Bangladesh government against the Pakistani envoy. Nevertheless, his expulsion is our diplomatic failure. The history of relations between the two states has been marked with resentment since their separation in 1971. The difference of language and culture as well as unfair political treatment estranged the two territories once called East and West Pakistan. The leadership of Pakistan committed some mistakes while dealing with the people of Bangladesh pre- and post-1971. Political and economic deprivation and the genocidal massacre in Bangladesh caused the Dhaka debacle. Although a section of the Bangladesh polity such as the Bangladesh National Party led by Khalida Zia still wants good ties with Pakistan, yet Pakistan is still perceived as an oppressor and exploiter by a large majority of the people of Bangladesh. Despite the fact that Bangladesh is an independent state, Islamabad does not seem to have fully accepted this reality. It has adopted a hostile attitude towards governments in Dhaka that are not averse to building friendly relations with India. Another factor in the current estranged relations is the hanging of 1971 war criminals by Bangladesh. Most of these convicts belonged to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). The Bangladesh government carried out these executions after due process. Pakistan termed these executions unfair and even passed a resolution in its National Assembly against the hanging of JI leader Abdul Qadir Mullah. Bangladesh termed the passage of the resolution an undue interference in its internal affairs. After all these political and diplomatic blunders, there is no repentance on the part of Pakistan, which is still unapologetic for the past repression and current undiplomatic steps.

Pakistan needs to review its policy towards Bangladesh. Although it had accepted Bangladesh as an independent state as long ago as 1974, yet this separation has not been accepted from the heart in practice. The government should realize that Bangladesh is no more a colony of Pakistan; rather it is a sovereign state. Bilateral friendly relations should be built with Bangladesh. If Pakistan is desirous of bringing Bangladesh out of the influence of India, it can only achieve this by extending a hand of friendship towards Dhaka, irrespective of which party is in power. Tension, conflict and estranged relations are not in the interests of any nation. Pakistan should also restrain itself from interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh.