Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that the issue of the 1971 genocide during Bangladesh’s Liberation War was resolved twice– first under the 1974 Shimla Agreement and later during former President Pervez Musharraf’s visit to Dhaka.
Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka on Sunday, Dar described the Shimla Agreement as “historic” and said the matter was again addressed during Musharraf’s visit in the early 2000s.
According to Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, the meeting was attended by Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, and other senior officials from the Bangladeshi side.
Dar asserted that among three unresolved bilateral issues– including a formal apology for the genocide of 1971– two had already been “settled” through the 1974 accord and Musharraf’s open statements in Dhaka.
“The matter was resolved first in 1974, which was historic for both countries, and again when General Pervez Musharraf visited Bangladesh and addressed the issue openly and candidly. Therefore, the matter has been resolved twice,” he said.
The Pakistani foreign minister arrived in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon on a special Pakistan Air Force flight and was received by Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Asad Alam at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
On his first day, Dar held separate meetings with leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen’s Party (NCP), discussing political and bilateral ties. He emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening relations with Bangladesh based on “mutual respect and shared interests.”
On Sunday morning, Dar met with Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin over breakfast before holding the formal bilateral talks with Touhid Hossain.
During the talks, both countries signed one agreement, four memorandums of understanding (MoUs), and one programme in the presence of Dar and Touhid Hossain, signaling an effort to enhance cooperation in multiple sectors.
