Summons High Commissioner over meddling in internal affairs
In the face of criticism by some countries for executing Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah for his crime against humanity during the country’s liberation war, the government on Tuesday made it clear that it does not like any interference in its domestic affairs. And apparently to send a strong signal regarding its stance, Dhaka has lodged a strong protest to Islamabad against the resolutions adopted by Pakistan National Assembly and Punjab Provincial Assembly as well as remarks by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on the execution of the Jamaat leader.
The protest was lodged on Tuesday evening after summoning Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi to the Foreign Ministry.
“A strong protest was lodged by the Government of Bangladesh against the resolutions adopted by the Pakistan National Assembly and the Punjab Provincial Assembly, and also the remarks made by a senior Cabinet Minister of Pakistan Government on the verdict of the war crimes tribunals in Bangladesh,” said a press statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
Secretary (Bilateral) of the Foreign Ministry Mustafa Kamal conveyed to the Pakistan envoy ‘in unequivocal terms’ that the war crimes trial in Bangladesh is an internal matter and ‘as such the uncalled for resolutions on the verdicts of the war crimes trial tantamount to interference in the domestic affairs of Bangladesh’.
Kamal also handed over an aide memoire to the High Commissioner of Pakistan.
Referring to the campaign of genocide launched against the peaceful and innocent people of Bangladesh by the Pakistan Army and its cohorts, which consisted of convicted war criminals like Abdul Quader Mollah, the Secretary (Bilateral) said the establishment of the war crimes tribunal was Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment as reflected in the 2008 election manifesto.
The war crimes trials are not being conducted with any specific intention to rake up memories of 1971 as misconstrued by some quarters in Pakistan, but to put a legal closure to the injustice and pain suffered by the victims’ families and the Bengali nation as a whole, he said.
Mustafa Kamal also said that this has been the longstanding demand and aspiration of the people of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali described the reactions in Pakistan on the execution of Mollah as ‘very unfortunate’.
“It is very unfortunate. We have lodged strong protest,” he told reporters at his office about the day’s development.
Referring to different war crimes trials across the world, the foreign minister claimed that no trial could be more transparent than the war crimes trial in Bangladesh.
Asked if protests would be lodged with United Nations, United States, European Union and others who also talked about the war crimes trial, he said that the government was conveying its position to everyone appropriately.
To a question, the minister said, “Bangladesh has reached such a position that it is not afraid of anybody.”
“We have nothing to lose. We will raise our justified stance,” he added.
According to sources concerned, the government also noted with regret the reported remarks by the Pakistan’s Interior Minister calling the execution of a convict as a judicial murder and reviving old wounds between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Dhaka finds such remarks completely untrue, biased and absolutely inappropriate.
It is the expectations of the people of Bangladesh that decisions and stature of the highest courts and judicial bodies of Bangladesh are duly respected by all concerned in Pakistan and utmost restraint is exercised specially by the responsible quarters of the government, the Pak envoy was told.
The actions in Pakistan stand against the spirit of international principal of non-interference, Dhaka told Islamabad, adding that this also did not augur well for the friendly bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan enjoyed over the decades.
It may be mentioned, that the National Assembly of Pakistan adopted a resolution moved by its Jamaat-e-Islami party on Monday expressing concern over the hanging of Bangladesh’s war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla
The resolution was moved by the Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami that earlier protested the hanging and said Mollah was hanged to death because “he was loyal to Pakistan and supported Pakistan army during the 1971 war”.
The resolution also expressed condolences for the family of Mollah.
The Assembly demanded that the Bangladesh government should not resurrect issues of 1971 and end all cases against the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh leadership in the spirit of understanding.
“We witnessed the fall of Dhaka 42 years ago and we seem to have not learnt our lesson,” said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who earlier protested the hanging of Mollah.
Speaking on a point of order on Monday, he said that “people still react in a violent manner, do not respect others and despite tall claims about democracy our attitudes are still undemocratic”.
He further added that “we should carry out self analysis to determine what we achieved and lost since the fall of Dhaka”.
The interior minister said the government would support the JI resolution on the issue Geo TV reported that the minister was pursuing for “a unanimous resolution” to condemn the hanging of Mollah.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Abdul Sattar Bachani said the execution of Molla was “an internal matter” of Bangladesh and Pakistan “should not interfere in the internal matters of an independent and sovereign country”.
However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s Chairman and former cricket captain Imran Khan claimed Molla was “innocent” and charges against him were “false”.
The Express Tribune quoting ‘Radio Pakistan’ said Khan claimed that a lawyer of the international human rights organisation Reprieve, who was defending Molla, told him that he was innocent and “had nothing to do with the charges against him”.
The former Pakistan cricket captain’s comment at the National Assembly came on Monday, days after the Pakistan Jamaat-i-Islami’s protest that Molla was hanged to death because “he was loyal to Pakistan and supported Pakistan army during the 1971 war”.
Molla was executed on Thursday night at 10.01pm for his crimes against humanity including mass murder during the 1971 war of independence.
-With The Independent input
