International relations analysts in Dhaka have said they would await the follow-up developments of the official-level foreign office consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the political level, as the issues of apology for the 1971 genocide and asset sharing came up in the talks on Thursday.
“Since the Pakistani foreign secretary represents her government at the FOC has some resonance, also because it was held after 15 long years,” former diplomat and expert Humayun Kabir told BSS.
He said Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Dhaka later this month, when the issues raised during the FOC could yield some results.
Humayun, who runs the private Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) think tank, said the issue of Pakistan’s official apology came up in the discussion and that if an apology could absolve an old scar, there should be no reason Islamabad should not do so for improved ties with Dhaka.
“It is a good time for them to do it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of Dhaka University’s international relations department said that for obscure reasons, Pakistan has not sought an apology officially until now, adding that there are many examples where many countries like France and Japan have sought an apology for their atrocities in other countries.
He said the asset sharing is also a big issue, though in terms of monetary calculation it is not a big amount that Dhaka has demanded. As soon as these issues are resolved, ties could develop at a faster pace, Imtiaz added.
“And it is also important to note that the bilateral ties should not be based on any of the two concerned countries' relations with a third country,” Imtiaz remarked.
He said bilateral relations should only serve the interest of the people and economy of the two countries and that in “our case it is Bangladesh’s interest."
But, he said, mutually beneficial economic relations could carry forward diplomatic and political ties, noting that incidentally, Bangladesh is currently economically in a better position compared to Pakistan.
He said it depends largely on Pakistan how far it opens up its market for Bangladeshi products, as only good political gestures cannot advance bilateral relations too far.
Former ambassador Mahfuzur Rahman said follow-ups of the talks at the FOC level could get a direction at the political level talks when Ishaq Dar visits Dhaka later this month.
“We expect to see the follow-ups of talks which we had today at the foreign secretary level meeting and a subsequent joint press conference,” said Mahfuzur, who once served as the deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh in Islamabad.
