Bangladesh to keep ties with Pakistan ‘for now’, says foreign minister

Bangladesh is not going to cut diplomatic relations with Pakistan ‘for now’, the foreign minister has hinted amid tensions between the two countries.

AH Mahmood Ali faced a question on the issue in Parliament on Tuesday after a staff member of Bangladesh’s mission in Islamabad had gone missing for hours.

“Problems do not necessarily mean we have to break relations. Many countries maintain diplomatic ties even during times of war,” he said.

The minister said, “I don’t want to do anything for now. The future will tell where this will go. We’ll have to consider the time. We have to think of our national interest on top of everything.

“That’s what we take into consideration when evaluating and taking steps relating to international relations. The same procedure will be followed in Pakistan’s case,” Ali added.

Ruling party MP Waresat Hussain Belal asked the question, referring to a press wing staffer at the Bangladesh mission in Islamabad who had gone ‘missing’ for hours on Monday.

The foreign ministry summoned the Pakistani high commissioner in Dhaka on Tuesday over the incident which followed the detention of an officer of the Pakistani mission in Dhaka ‘for suspicious movements’.

Detectives later released the officer but seized the Indian-currency bank notes he was carrying ‘illegally’.

The two incidents have fuelled tension between the two countries, already compounded by Pakistan’s comments on the trials of the 1971 war criminals and alleged terrorist links of officials of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

To a question by Mohibur Rahman Manik on Pakistan’s stance on the trials of war criminals, the foreign minister said, “Pakistan has been opposing the trial since the very beginning.”

“Pakistan has termed the trials faulty and politically motivated,” he said.

Ali said, “We received unexpected reactions from Pakistan on different occasions, following judgment delivery in war crimes cases and execution of the verdicts. The foreign ministry has taken proper and strong measures every time.”

He said Pakistan’s reactions to the war crimes trials are tantamount to interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. Pakistan has frustrated us time and again.”

The minister said Pakistan’s interference would not be tolerated.