Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has ruled out any possibility of cutting ties with Islamabad amid diplomatic tensions running high between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“It is not like diplomatic ties have to be cut if there is any tension,” the minister said.
“In many cases we have seen that diplomatic ties remain in tact even at times of war. We are observing the situation. Time is very important. We are not thinking about cutting ties right now,” he told in parliament in reply to a query.
The minister also said: “Future will say what step would have to be taken. But we have to keep in mind the country’s interests.”
On Monday, hours after law enforcers detained a Pakistani embassy official in Dhaka for what was rumoured to be his ties with militancy, a Bangladeshi embassy staff in Islamabad went missing.
Law enforcers said they had picked up the Pakistan embassy official around midday on suspicion that he was in illegal possession of foreign currencies, and released him in the evening.
The Bangladeshis embassy official, on the other hand, went back home after remaining traceless for several hours on Monday. There is not yet any word from the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad on why the official was missing.
Yesterday, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistan High Commi-ssioner in Dhaka, Shuja Alam, and sought a clarification. Suja later said he would talk to his government and give more details on this.
