Pakistan sends a wrong signal
Mirza Zia Ispahani, Special Envoy of Pakistan visited Bangladesh to convey the message of greetings and goodwill from President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani. Unfortunately, the message he delivered gave a wrong signal to the people here.
Following his meeting with our Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Zia Ispahani made a few comments on war crime trial. He said, "We should not go into this right at this moment because there are so many other issues we would like to cooperate on with Bangladesh". His comment is not only insensitive but also offensive to the people of Bangladesh. Once again, yet another Pakistani diplomat visited Bangladesh to sing the same old song: 'Let bygones be bygones'. For the Pakistanis, it is easy to say - let's forget. But for the millions of people in Bangladesh who saw their loved ones killed, maimed, raped; the trauma is still real. The mother who saw her son brutally killed by the Pakistani soldiers will neither forget nor forgive. The father who saw her daughter taken away to be raped and killed by the Pakistani invaders will never pardon them. The brutalities of Pakistani soldiers in 1971 have permanently traumatized a generation.
A deep wound divides these two nations. The healing process can possibly start only after all these war criminals are brought to justice. But unfortunately, none of the Pakistani governments since 1971 took any initiative in that direction. Even today, as evidenced by Zia Ispahani's comment, they do not want to acknowledge that in 1971 Pakistan committed grave crimes against the people in Bangladesh.
If Pakistan is genuinely interested to improve bilateral relationship with Bangladesh, then the first step for Pakistan would be to co-operate with us to bring the war criminals to justice. This is not only in the interest of Bangladesh, but theirs, too.
The Pakistani leadership must reflect why their country is now the most dangerous place in the world. Why has it become a haven for the terrorists from all over the world? Terrorism has brought Pakistan to the brink of becoming the first failed state in South Asia. Terrorism in today's Pakistan is actually the bloody legacy of its collective crimes against a fellow human race in 1971.
It was interesting to note that Zia Ispahani supported Bangladesh's proposal for a South Asian Task Force to fight terrorism in the region. He commented, "We will go for it".
How can a state be a part of anti-terrorism task force while it harbours terrorists? Killers of Bangabandhu - a notorious band of terrorists - are still sheltered in Pakistan. They not only killed Bangabandhu, but also pregnant women and children. A country which condones war criminals, shelters terrorists will be a strange member of a regional task force to fight terrorism!
Zia Ispahani told the reporters that he did not have any discussion about the war crime issue with Dr. Dipu Moni. Trial of war criminals including Pakistani war criminals is a top priority issue for this government and the people of Bangladesh. It is beyond me, why our foreign minister skipped this important issue during her meeting with the Pakistani envoy. Was it too much to ask the Pakistani envoy for their co-operation to bring the Pakistani war criminals to justice?
Why didn't our foreign ministry ask the Pakistani envoy to extradite the killers of Bangabandhu to Bangladesh?
The whole nation has already rejected Pakistani envoy's insensitive and offensive comments about war crime trial. Our foreign ministry is yet to do that.
The foreign ministry should have cancelled all remaining appointments of the Pakistani envoy after he made these unacceptable comments. It seems they have also become new believers of 'let bygones be bygones' adage.
A couple of weeks ago, an Indian journalist termed Bangladesh as a 'Buffer State' in the presence of our Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni.
The Indian journalist from Kolkata obviously did not know what he was talking about; but our foreign minister certainly knew that Bangladesh is no buffer state for geographical reason alone. But she remained silent. Her silence on such sensitive issues is deafening!
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