Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has reignited controversy by asserting that the unresolved issues stemming from the 1971 Liberation War —long demanded by Bangladesh — were settled twice.
His claim, made during a high-level bilateral meeting in Dhaka, was swiftly and unequivocally rejected by Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain, who insisted that no such resolution had ever been reached.
Dar claimed that the long-standing issues — a formal apology for the 1971 genocide, financial compensation, and repatriation of stranded Pakistanis — were resolved in two historical phases, in 1974 and 2002.
Dar made the remarks following a bilateral meeting with Touhid Hossain at the Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Sunday morning.
“The issue was settled for the first time in 1974, and again when General Pervez Musharraf visited Bangladesh in the early 2000s,” Dar told reporters.
“The documents and gestures from those times are historic for both countries.”
However, the foreign affairs adviser strongly rejected the claim.
Speaking later at the Foreign Service Academy, Touhid Hossain said: “I definitely do not agree. If we had agreed, the problem would have been resolved.”
Hossain confirmed that Bangladesh had reiterated its position on three unresolved issues: a formal apology for the 1971 genocide, financial compensation for pre-independence assets, and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.
“We want an accounting, which is a financial solution. We want them to express regret and apologize for the genocide. We want them to take back the stranded people,” he said.
He added that both sides had agreed to continue discussions in the coming days.
“You certainly don’t expect that a 54-year-old problem will be resolved in a one-day meeting,” Hossain said.
“We have presented each other’s positions. For bilateral relations to move forward smoothly, these issues must be addressed.”
Historical context
In 1974, then Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto visited Dhaka and expressed regret for the atrocities committed during the 1971 war, attributing responsibility to the military regime of the time.
He called for “normal, friendly and brotherly” relations between the two nations and acknowledged Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
In 2002, then president Pervez Musharraf echoed similar sentiments during his visit to Bangladesh, expressing regret once again.
However, neither visit resulted in a formal apology or resolution of financial claims.
Bangladesh has consistently demanded its share of undivided Pakistan’s state assets, a claim that has never been accepted by successive Pakistani governments.
Even Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s repeated meetings with Bhutto in 1974 failed to yield consensus on the matter.
Earlier this year, following a Foreign Secretary-level meeting on April 17, Bangladesh formally demanded either an apology for the 1971 atrocities or payment of outstanding dues related to pre-independence common property.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the interim government had asked Pakistan for $4.32 billion in compensation.
