The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday clarified that the recent meeting between Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin and his Pakistani counterpart, Dr Arif Alvi, in Saudi Arabia had been an "unscheduled" one.
Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, director general (additional charge) of the Public Diplomacy Wing, in a weekly media briefing at the ministry, said the two presidents had exchanged pleasantries during the unscheduled meeting.
President Shahabuddin had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj.
Earlier, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman on Monday tweeted a photo of the meeting and said “Pleasure meeting @ArifAlvi President of Pakistan in Masjid Nabawi. I was 12 years old when we last met. Brought back lots of fond childhood memories. I said to him we need an apology for 1971 in order to improve relations. We prayed for the welfare of the Ummah in the holy site”.
The Bangladesh president was also in the photo.
The Pakistan President also tweeted that he had a "good conversation" with Mohammed Shahabuddin in Makkah, Mina and Madinah.
Calling Salman a "childhood friend,” Arif said: "We met after 60 yrs.”
