The foreign ministry yesterday summoned Pakistan high commissioner in Dhaka over posting a video regarding the declaration of the country’s independence on a webpage maintained by the mission. Strongly protesting against the posting of the video, Dhaka sought an apology from Islamabad as well as withdrawal of the post which has been described by the foreign ministry as misleading. “The government of Bangladesh has conveyed its strong protest against the misleading video-footage posted on the webpage maintained by the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka,” said a foreign ministry press release.
The high commissioner of Pakistan Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui was called to the ministry and secretary (bilateral and consular) Kamrul Ahsan handed him a protest note.
In response, the Pakistan envoy expressed regret and said the post has been removed, Secretary Ahsan told reporters. In a briefing at the state guest house Padma, foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said that Pakistan would not benefit even if they hatch conspiracy.
He ruled out any possibility of severing diplomatic ties with Islamabad, saying that Dhaka wants to normalise the relationship and enhance trade and commerce. In the diplomatic note, it was stated that the message conveyed in the video that it is not the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who declared the independence of Bangladesh is a blatant lie and sheer fabrication of historical facts. The video also mentions that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not want Bangladesh’s independence; he sought autonomy. The government of Bangladesh strongly rebuts such baseless and unfounded narratives.
Secretary Ahsan stated that this is an instance of purposeful abuse of social media by the high commission of Pakistan in Dhaka. Such breach of diplomatic norms and practices and deliberate propaganda to spread shameless lies shall not only jeopardise bilateral relations, but would render a great disservice to succeeding generations of historians, intelligentsia as well as common people who champion the cause of truth and justice. Nothing can be farthest from the truth than claiming that the architect of independent Bangladesh and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not want Bangladesh’s independence or that Bangladesh’s independence was declared by anybody other than the Great Leader himself. Any such misadventure from Pakistan or for that matter any quarters in Pakistan would threaten normal ties.
The High Commissioner was reminded that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic speech delivered on 7 March 1971 when the stated “the struggle this time is the struggle for our freedom, the struggle this time is the struggle for our independence” bears testimony to his intention for Bangladesh’s independence. He was reminded that Bangladesh’s long freedom movement culminated in the declaration of independence by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 26 March 1971 and Pakistan’s subsequent surrender at Dhaka on 16 December 1971. Bangabandhu’s declaration of independence and his clarion call to take up arms against a brutal military were the milestone events in Bangladesh’s liberation struggle that motivated hundreds of thousands of Bangladesh’s Freedom Fighters to fight to liberate Bangladesh. Even some historians in Pakistan in their works have highlighted Bangabandhu’s singular and monumental role in Bangladesh’s war of liberation.
The Government of Bangladesh informed the high commissioner that such utterly undiplomatic practices hurt the sentiments of the people of Bangladesh particularly the families of the three million martyrs and around half million violated women. The government of Bangladesh seeks a formal note of apology for this ill-motivated and misleading video post and calls for an immediate withdrawal of the footage from the facebook page reportedly maintained by the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka. The government of Bangladesh deeply regrets that notwithstanding Bangladesh’s repeated overtures the malicious campaign by Pakistan and its various agencies against Bangladesh has not come to a halt. Secretary Ahsan strongly cautioned the Pakistan envoy that repeated breach of diplomatic norms by Pakistan only stand to harm bilateral relations between the two countries.
The high commissioner was told that for the sake of adherence to established diplomatic norms; in future, the high commission of Pakistan in Dhaka as well as the Pakistan authorities would act responsibly and refrain from any such uncalled for and provocative activities against the interest of Bangladesh. The Pakistan envoy was also told to bring the matter to the notice of concerned authorities in Pakistan.