“Though what happens in Bangladesh is that country’s internal matter, yet Pakistan cannot remain divorced from references to 1971 and its aftermath,” Nisar said.
“It is highly unfortunate that almost 45 years after those tragic chain of events, the Bangladeshi government still seems to be living in the past and totally ignoring the time tested virtue of forgive and forget,” the interior minister lamented.
Nisar said he was perplexed over why Bangladesh remains hell bent upon digging up the graves of the past and reopening old wounds.
The interior minister underlined that the recent events in Bangladesh are a manifestation of serious political violations, which are being inflicted on JI Bangladesh for events before the independence of Bangladesh.
Nisar maintained that he was deeply saddened to receive this shocking news.
“The government of Bangladesh has misused the process of law as a political tool against the JI leader,” he upheld.
On October 29, Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced the chief of JI Bangladesh to death for crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture and rape, during the 1971 war.
COMMENTS (34)
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@Musafir: And I am old enough to remember clearly the events from the 1950's, as a young student, not just 1971. I remember general Mirza and his intrigues. I remember how he crushed the language movement in East Pakistan and the text of his speech in Bengali, his mother tongue, and how he created the military establishment, all this as an insider, not a foreigner receiving filtered news.
@ Ahsan Abdullah: I did not post any vitriol. I was old enough to remember vividly the entire 14 days of 1971 war from Dec. 3 through Dec. 17 living as a young boy in India's second largest city with military hardware manufacturing complex. Dear Brother, I am neither trying to be clever nor vitriolic. I know history and I lived through it and remember it well. I remember the millions of rapes, murders, killings, injuring and millions of East Pakistanis coming in to India to take refuge and I remember the special postage stamp that India issued to pay for the Bengali refugee crisis. Out of love and out of absolute brotherly care for you, I exhort you to read about the history of 1971, rigged elections in which Mujib won 160 out 162 seats and Mr. Bhutto a lost less, (around 8 or so in the NA) yet Mujib was denied to form a government in Islamabad and Bhutto became PM, the murders and rapes by the Pakistani Army against its own citizens of East Pak but they were Bengalis, the surrender of 90+ thousand Pakistani soldiers that every Indian of 12 years or older remembers through newspapers, radios, and magazines. Please try and read the history yourself not from a Pakistani source but from a third party source and you will know more about 1971 and how and why was Bangladesh born.
@Musafir: Don"t try to be clever. If you can counter arguments with facts, present them or refrain from posting vitriolic.
They should open the wound, bury the culprits inside and then seal it forever.
This establishment needs to be served like this. It's NOT OK to do whatever you want and then expect others to 'Forgive and Forget'.
Nisar is playing a double game by condemning the act in Bangladesh, and sending a message to JI pakistan to woo them away from PTI.
Nisar can our Pakistan government apologize to Bangladesh for the crime of ignorance committed by Pakistan from 1947 to 1971?
@Mirza - Brilliant. I believe you meant polio and Aafia instead of ebola and Asia. Autocorrect does fun things. Also to add to what you said, Saudis behead without a due process of law. No lawyer, no translation of charges for the accused - nothing. Still nt a whimper from the Pakistani government.
@jg: It is really not for you to say what is okay and not okay for Bangladesh to do as long as their actions (of convicting this man) do not impact Pakistani citizens. They are a sovereign country ou know. But since you care so much about across the board action, peraps you can expand the scope fo Zarb-e-Azb to include Afghan Taliban, Haqqanis, LeT, JeM, Harkat-ul-mujahidin.
@Asif Jamal: Please provide reference to this agreement. Pakistan was unwilling to allow tose people loyal to Pakistan and living in its easter wing to move to Pakistan when Bangladesh was created. All these crocodile tears now are pointless.
What is Ch Nisar's agenda by giving such uncalled statements, I wonder. It takes courage to do what BD is doing, it's commendable!
I think Bangladesh is taking extremely correct and much needed steps. War criminals have to be punished severely as this sets up precedence. Further, Pakistan lacks courage to punish and serve justice to the bearded crowd which in long run is extremely detrimental to the society. Justice should be served.
We started it and now we have to patiently live with it. Poisonous wounds of racial hatred do not heal quickly. So, please remember the golden words of Hazrat Umar (RA),
"There are four types of Regrets:
a. Regret that spans over a day e.g. When a person leaves his home without eating.
b. Regret that spans over a year, just like the negligence shown when cultivating.
c. Regret that spans over a lifetime, when a man and his wife are unsuited to each other.
d. Regret that is eternal, which is when your Creator is unhappy with you." Salams
It's OK for Bangladesh to prosecute war criminals, but then it should be across the board. Brutalities committed by Mukhti Bahni should also be considered
@Ahmed: Ch. Nisar is not speaking in the air. All matters relating to 1971 war are protected by an agreement between the two countries and such prosecution is a violation of that agreement, purely an attempt by Shaikh Haseena to please her masters in India, besides being condemned by the world for not meeting judicial standards.
Choudhary Nisar should first look at JI chiefs crimes before supporting him with blind eye, his charges are rape, murder, just because he was JI chief Nisar is supporting his henious acts.
Is he Pakistan's internal minister or BD's internal minister?
Nisar is acting as a global rightwing tout and should be fired for isolating Pakistan even further. He has no shame in hurting relationship with our neighbors and interfering in other country's affairs. Does Pakistan have any real friend in its neighbors who is not sick of us exporting Ebola, terrorism and fanaticism? We are keeping hundreds of innocent minority members in jail on death row, Saudis behead naive Pakistanis for non violent crimes but we are only for ex-JI leader and Asia! We have no business in interfering other country's internal judicial affairs. We had hanged our elected PM but have problems our old colony (Nisar and establishment thinks) sentences a couple of criminals. Grow up and get a life. Pakistani Senate should approve a resolution against Nisar and demand he is fired.
On one hand - international community asks Pakistan to stop Capital punishment (execution of death penalty) yet on the other hand we dont see same instance being pursued in other countries :)
An interior minister is supporting a convicted criminal.
I'll rephrase the same thing, I want to know how it sounds this time:
“It is highly unfortunate that almost 65 years after those tragic chain of events, the Pakistani government still seems to be living in the past and totally ignoring the time tested virtue of forgive and forget,”
Hope they follow the same "forgive and forget" virtue with Kashmir as-well. So when are they gonna forget Kashmir issue then?
Ironical that Pakistan is advising that Bangladesh should forgive and forget. The nation which is spreading terrorism across the globe is advising to forgive & forget.
The very young nation of Bangladesh is going through a crucial self-healing process and vigorously putting an end with her very atrocious past........root and branch!!!
Pakistan on the other hand arrogantly and bullishly dwells in its 1400 years old past. A massacre against the bad boys of the country is going on with the designation zarb-e-azb! Why not a local designation for example, Jatt da Gandasa???
In the name of ancient Islamic law of blasphemy, people are being murdered, languishing in jails or sentenced to death from judges who have degrees from civilized western countries!
Chaudhry Nisar and Pakistan should rather grow up to formally apologize from Bangladesh for the atrocities and genocide of our East Pakistani children, women and men.
I am totally against death penalty and appeal Bangladesh to reprieve Motiur Rahman Nizami!
Why doesn't Bangladeash govt. prosecute the terrorist group Mukti Bahini which committed genocide against those who wanted to keep a united Pakistan? Such partial conduct betrays the fact these are just show trials to eliminate opposition, and make Hasina the dictator of Bangladesh.
Govt of Pakistan and its interior minister should practise what they preach, Aasia Bibi, wrongly accused and sentenced of blasphemy. do not ignore the time tested virture of forgive and forget.
"forgive and forget" ? let killers of 3 million Bangladeshis go free ?
The only way to stop future Genocides is to punish yesteryears mass murderers.
Ch. Nisar has no right whatsoever to make a comment on Bangladesh's judicial and political matter. Very poor reflection on Pakistan. Ch. Nisar is just an individual but making the remarks in the capacity the he holds in Pak Govt. will be unacceptable to any sovereign nation. The more sustainable argument is that Pakistan is still living in the past of 1947 partition mentality vis-à-vis India and Bangladesh is making great strides in the right direct to confront the evils of what happened in East Pakistan and carving a destiny past its violent beginning by confronting it. Bangladesh by all indexes, has also been able to make great progress in democracy, judiciary, and governance of the nation... which are the three pillars of a progressive country. Can Pakistan claim that same success?
@shaz: True. Besides, the cause of resentment that led to the 1971 tragedy was dictatorship (one that was setup by an East Pakistani general-Iskandar Mirza) that deprived the masses of prosperity and instilled a false sense of development through loans and foreign aid at the expense of diplomatic and financial independence. the common people suffered while those with connections in the establishment prospered. The 1965 elections were rigged through horse trading and Ayub instigated a war to divert public attention from his corruption. He had national leaders, Ms Fatima Jinnah and Mr Suhrwardy murdered and supplanted them with his stooges, Bhutto and Mujib and the rest is all well known. Instead of leading the struggle against dictatorship and playing the role of the big brother, the eastern province parted ways with the smaller provinces, leaving them at the mercy of the establishment. Bangladesh should apologize to Pakistan,especially the Baluch for creating the establishment that continues to torment West Pakistan to this day.
These actions which Bangladesh has taken will bring kiosk in the the Bangladeshi politics. It was not altogether west pak fault altogether. Indian involvement is all proven in the process. What are they trying to prove is to late to justify. Shame on you Bangladesh.
They still hunt WW2 Nazi mass murderers - no reason that war crimes committed on Bangladesh people should be subject to Pakistan "forgive and forget" policy.
Rubbish, Bangladesh is an independent country and decide their own. If we don't have courage and morality to prosecute criminals of 1971 break up, we must at least keep ourselves shut up. Majority of Pakistanis adore the courage and guts of our Bengali brethren.
Why is the interior minister of Pakistan making critical comments on the internal affairs of Bangladesh? This kind of unprofessional conduct can be expected from someone in PTI or PAT or from an inmate of an insane asylum. It has no place in a responsible political party like PMLN or any of the other seasoned parties in the parliament. PMLN should throw this man out at the first opportunity.