Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that three outstanding issues, including an apology for the 1971 genocide, had been resolved twice.
He made the remark on Sunday afternoon after a meeting with Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital, Prothom Alo reports.
When asked about discussions on unresolved issues at the foreign ministerial-level meeting, Ishaq Dar said that the first resolution took place in 1974. The document of that time, he added, was historic for both countries. Later, General Pervez Musharraf came here (Bangladesh) and resolved the matter openly and sincerely. As a result, the issue has been resolved twice – once in 1974 and again in the early 2000s, according to the foreign minister.
Ishaq Dar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday for a two-day visit. At around 2pm that day, he landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a special flight of the Pakistan Air Force. He was received by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam.
On the first day of his Dhaka visit, Ishaq Dar held separate meetings with leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP). In those meetings, he discussed strengthening relations between the two countries in political spheres as well as in other areas. He expressed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening this relationship based on mutual respect and interests.
On Sunday morning, Ishaq Dar held a breakfast meeting with Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin. He later met with Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain. Afterwards, a bilateral meeting at the foreign ministerial level was held between the two countries. Bangladesh was led by Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain, while Pakistan was led by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
In the presence of Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and Ishaq Dar, one agreement, four memoranda of understanding (MoUs), and one program were signed between Bangladesh and Pakistan.