Pakistan has refused to apologise to Bangladesh over the video that was shared on its High Commission’s Facebook page in Dhaka showing former president Ziaur Rahman declaring the independence.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over a letter to Pakistan High Commissioner Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui on Tuesday seeking a formal note of apology from the country, reports the Express Tribune.
Later, Pakistan also summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner and informed him that sharing a video by a third party could not be attributed to the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.
The Foreign Office in Pakistan also questioned the origin of the controversial clip and lodged a strong protest with the Bangladeshi envoy for using what it called ‘undiplomatic language in a Note Verbale’.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan had been pursuing a policy of maintaining friendly and cordial ties with Bangladesh.
“Pakistan desires to move forward in accordance with the Tripartite Agreement of 1974.”
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At a news conference, spokesperson of the Foreign Office Dr Muhammad Faisal said the video was uploaded on the high commission’s Facebook page by someone else and was immediately deleted.
He said: “We sincerely hope that the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh will continue to move in the letter and spirit of the Tripartite Agreement of 1974.”
Replying to a query about the apology, the spokesperson without directly responding to the query insisted that the 1974 Tripartite Agreement between Pakistan, Bangladesh and India was the cornerstone for taking the relations forward.
“We expect our Bangladeshi brethren to adhere to it,” he hoped.
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The diplomatic note handed to Pakistan High Commissioner said 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 was 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,” the letter further said.