Pakistan seeks friendly ties with Bangladesh for enhanced regional peace, Foreign Office says

The screenshot taken from the video from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch addressing a media briefing in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 5, 2024. (MOFA/Facebook)

• Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971
• Ties between the two countries have witnessed a thaw since the ouster of PM Hasina as a result of a student-led uprising

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday that Islamabad aimed to build strong, multifaceted and friendly relations with Bangladesh, believing that cooperation between the two nations would enhance peace in the region.
The remarks followed recent statements by the Bangladeshi interim government, including from Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, that expressed a desire to resolve lingering issues and improve relations with Pakistan.
In a recent meeting with Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka, Nahid Islam, a minister in the interim Bangladesh government, also stressed Bangladesh’s intention to address “unresolved issues” and foster stronger ties with Pakistan for the sake of a “more democratic South Asia.”
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said there was an “immense goodwill” in Pakistan for Bangladesh and Islamabad wanted relations between the two countries to prosper.
“Pakistan has always said that it wishes to have robust, multifaceted relations, friendly relations with Bangladesh,” Baloch said. “We believe that our cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh will further contribute to enhancing peace and friendship in the region.”
Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during former PM Sheikh Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.
Dhaka has consistently called for an apology from Pakistan and sought international recognition of a “genocide” of the Bangladeshi people during the 1971 conflict. The issue remains unresolved despite numerous attempts over the last five decades.
However, relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have witnessed a thaw since the ouster of PM Hasina on August 5 as a result of a student-led uprising in the country.
During the weekly briefing, Baloch said Bangladesh was an important partner for Pakistan in South Asia, describing it as a brotherly Muslim country.
“[Cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh] will contribute to the development of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation as a positive and robust institution,” she added.