Special Correspondent //

Claiming that the interim government has adopted a pro-Bangladesh foreign policy, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar said that there are many examples of former enemies becoming friends in the world.

Explaining the question raised about relations with Pakistan, Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar said this in a post on his verified Facebook ID on Friday.

Citing examples of former enemies becoming friends in the world, Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar said that France and England have fought countless wars over the centuries. But they joined hands in World War II. In the same war, the United States bombed Japan, but later they became friends.

He said, is Bangladesh’s foreign policy becoming pro-Pakistan? We have faced such a question. Such a question did not surprise us at all. There will always be some people who will hardly believe in the independent identity of Bangladesh.

The Deputy Press Secretary said that our answer was clear. Whatever happened in the past in the country’s foreign policy, from now on it will be a pro-Bangladesh policy, which will be guided by our own interests.

Azad Majumdar believes that distancing oneself from another neighbor to keep one neighbor happy cannot be the foreign policy of an independent nation.

He said that it took less than 24 hours for the interim government to implement her words by reminding the visiting Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch of the unresolved issues between the two countries. During this time, she (Baloch) agreed to work together for mutual interests.

Azad Majumdar said that one of the emotional issues that has hindered Bangladesh-Pakistan relations is the demand for an apology from the country for the genocide and atrocities committed by the Pakistani armed forces in 1971.

He said that even many in the Pakistani civil society, media and intellectuals believed that an apology would be an act of goodwill and generosity. But the Pakistani Foreign Office and military bureaucracy have always opposed such words. So, no formal apology was ever made.

The Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser said that Bangladesh has also stressed on the issue of division of wealth, which was a forgotten issue for the past rulers. In the past, the rulers preferred isolation to discussing it.

He said that according to an estimated calculation in 1974, Bangladesh owes Pakistan 4.32 billion US dollars. This is determined on the basis of an estimated calculation of domestic capital creation, foreign debt settlement and holding of foreign financial assets.

Azad Majumdar said that Bangladesh has also claimed about 200 million US dollars, which were donated by various countries/organizations of the world for the victims of the cyclone in the then East Pakistan in November 1970. This money was lying in the State Bank of Pakistan office in Dhaka before being transferred to the Lahore branch of the State Bank of Pakistan during our war of independence in 1971.

Azad Majumdar also mentioned in his post that the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis was another issue that hampered the relations between the two countries. In the past, Pakistan had taken back only 125,000 of its people. But there were about 325,000 in 79 camps in 14 districts of Bangladesh.

He said these issues remained as obstacles to moving towards a healthy and future-oriented bilateral relationship between the two countries. The best option to resolve the issue is dialogue and that is exactly what the interim government is trying to do. After many years, Bangladesh has brought Pakistan into dialogue and has raised the issues appropriately, besides exploring the possibilities of trade and commerce for mutual benefit.

The Deputy Press Secretary recalled that Principal Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus had called for resolving the outstanding issues in a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Egypt last December. He reiterated his call while meeting Baloch at the State Guest House Jamuna on Thursday. In the same meeting, Professor Yunus stressed on good relations with neighboring countries, including Pakistan, to harness the huge economic potential of the region.

He said, “Perhaps it is time for Bangladesh and Pakistan to work together and move forward to resolve the issues of the past for the benefit of the future.”

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