DHAKA /
Bangladesh has accused Pakistan of breaching the post-1971 liberation war agreement by not taking back thousands of its stranded citizens. During a discussion in Dhaka today, Bangladesh Law Minister Anisul Huq said, under the 1974 agreement, Pakistan was obligated to take back its stranded citizens from Bangladesh but they did not fulfil their obligation over the decades.
He said, Bangladesh on the other hand, complied with the treaty allowing the defeated Pakistani soldiers’ repatriation. He said, Bangladesh in no way breached the agreement by bringing to justice Bangladeshi perpetrators of war crimes who carried out atrocities siding with the invading Pakistani troops.
The law minister’s comments came amid a growing diplomatic row between the two countries. Pakistan had recently accused Bangladesh of failure to uphold the commitment of not to proceed with the trials in line with the 1974 treaty since Dhaka took initiatives to try the 1971 war criminals among its own nationals.
Pakistan had been upset after fundamentalist Jamaat-e- Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed for war crimes in Bangladesh earlier this week and Pakistani parliament also passed a resolution condemning the hanging.
“As part of the (1974) agreement, the Government of Bangladesh decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency,” the latest such Islamabad statement read after fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed for 1971 war crimes earlier this week when the Pak parliament also took a resolution condemning his hanging.
It added: “His (Nizami’s) only sin was upholding the constitution and laws of Pakistan”.