Bangladesh protests Islamabad’s reaction over war crimes trial

Bangladesh has asked Pakistan to behave “responsibly” and desist from running a “malicious campaign” against the war crimes trials.

The foreign ministry on Monday said it had summoned High Commissioner Shuja Alam and handed him over a “note verbale” that contains “strong protest” against Islamabad’s recent statement after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Nizami is the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which collaborated with Pakistan during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

Islamabad has been reacting to the war crimes trials ever since the process began in 2009.

After the apex court’s dismissal of Nizami’s review plea, Islamabad, on May 6, said they had noted the verdict with “deep concern and anguish”.

Pakistan also called for “reconciliation” in accordance with “the spirit of Tripartite Agreement of April 1974 which calls for a forward looking approach in matters relating to the events of 1971”.

The foreign ministry in the protest note said with such repeated statements, Pakistan has once again acknowledged its “direct involvement and complicity” with the mass crimes committed during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

 “It is a matter of great regret that Pakistan continues to comment in the misguided defence of this convicted criminal”.

 “These uncalled for reactions amount to direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, which is totally unacceptable,” the note added.

The Bangladesh government reiterated that the verdicts against the convicted individual Nizami had been handed down through “an independent, sound, fair, impartial, open and transparent judicial process, and without any political interference”.

“The trials took solely into consideration the crimes committed by Nizami during 1971 and had nothing to do with his political identity or affiliation,” the note stated.

The note refuted Pakistan’s labelling of the proceedings of the trail as ‘controversial’ and affirmed that “Pakistan should no way make biased, flawed and unfounded comments about the independent judiciary of a sovereign country”.

The High Commissioner was reminded that Pakistan continues to present “a misleading, limited and partial interpretation” of the underlying premise of the Tripartite Agreement of April 1974.

 “The essential spirit of the Agreement was to create an environment of good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

 “The agreement never implied that the masterminds and perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide would continue to enjoy impunity and eschew the course of justice,” the note reiterated.

 “Rather Pakistan has systematically failed in its obligation to bring to justice those of its nationals identified and held responsible for committing mass atrocity crimes in 1971,” the note also pointed out.

“It was Bangladesh which has consistently advocated for regional peace, harmony, reconciliation and integration”.

The government, in the note, “deeply regretted” that despite Bangladesh’s repeated overtures, the malicious campaign by Pakistan against the trials of the crimes against humanity and genocide in Bangladesh was continuing which was “an impediment” to the bilateral relations.

The High Commissioner was told to take “serious note” of the points raised by Bangladesh and bring those to the attention of the “competent authorities” in Pakistan.

“The Government of Bangladesh expected that the quarters/authorities in Pakistan would act responsibly and would refrain from continuing such uncalled for statements,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.