Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Bangladesh was involved in sabotaging a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Conference (SAARC) head of states conference in Pakistan, Express News, Pakistan reports. The Pakistan foreign minister was responding to the questions of the country’s National Assembly (NA) members yesterday about relations with Bangladesh. Asif told the assembly that Islamabad has been making efforts for the normalization of relations with Dhaka. “Pakistan does not desire any tension in relations with regional countries, including Bangladesh,” the Pakistan foreign minister said, according to a report published by Radio Pakistan.

“Bangladesh is not implementing the tripartite agreement of 1974 and over the last few years several capital punishments have been executed in connection with the 1971 war,” Asif told the lawmakers.

According to the minister, Pakistan has consistently urged government of Bangladesh to uphold its commitment as per the tripartite agreement.

“Pakistan desires to move ahead but the other side will also have to reciprocate to our efforts,” he stressed. The Pakistan foreign minister said the sixth round of the bilateral political consultations with Bangladesh is expected to take place in Dhaka during the first half of this year. He expressed the confidence that this would provide an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.