Fall of Dhaka: Modi’s admission vindicates Pakistan: FO
Islamabad urges world to take note of Indian PM’s speech
Islamabad urges world to take note of Indian PM’s speech. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
It was an open secret that India was instrumental in dismembering Pakistan in 1971. Nonetheless Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday publicly admitted to his country’s role in the breakup of Pakistan. Incensed, Islamabad called upon the international community on Tuesday to take note of Modi’s admission.
In a speech at Dhaka University on Sunday, Modi not only publicly admitted his country’s role in the fall of Dhaka, then capital of Pakistan’s eastern wing, but also accused Islamabad of spreading terrorism in India.
“It is regrettable that Indian politicians not only indulge in actions that are in violation of the UN Charter but also take pride in recalling their interference in the internal affairs of other states,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah in a statement on Tuesday.
Khalilullah said it only confirmed Pakistan’s stance on India’s negative role against a sovereign neighbour. He also called upon the international community to take note of the Indian acknowledgement of its interference in the then East Pakistan.
With reference to Modi’s allegations against Pakistan at Dhaka University, Khalilullah said Pakistan believed in peaceful co-existence and maintaining good neighbourly relations with India. “[But] the characterisation of bilateral relations by Prime Minister Modi as ‘nuisance’ is unfortunate,” he added.
Khalilullah said the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh are bound not only by the strong bonds of religious affinity but also by the history of their struggle for independence against colonial rule. “Indian attempts to sow seeds of discord between the two brotherly nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh will not succeed,” he added.
Envoys conference
A three-day envoys conference began at the Foreign Office on Tuesday to deliberate key regional issues, including the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the Foreign Office, ambassadors from 14 countries posted in Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) states and Economic Cooperation Organisation regions are participating in the closed-door discussions.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz inaugurated the conference that will focus on the foreign policy challenges facing Pakistan in its immediate and extended neighbourhood, in the light of developments within the region.
The envoys will also deliberate on connectivity in the region and would formulate recommendations for the consideration of the leadership, the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit is expected to brief the conference about the current stalemate in relations between Islamabad and New Delhi. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kabul Syed Ibrar Hussain will also brief the participants about the situation in Afghanistan and efforts to put an end to the prolonged war in that country.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2015.
It was an open secret that India was instrumental in dismembering Pakistan in 1971. Nonetheless Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday publicly admitted to his country’s role in the breakup of Pakistan. Incensed, Islamabad called upon the international community on Tuesday to take note of Modi’s admission.
In a speech at Dhaka University on Sunday, Modi not only publicly admitted his country’s role in the fall of Dhaka, then capital of Pakistan’s eastern wing, but also accused Islamabad of spreading terrorism in India.
“It is regrettable that Indian politicians not only indulge in actions that are in violation of the UN Charter but also take pride in recalling their interference in the internal affairs of other states,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah in a statement on Tuesday.
Khalilullah said it only confirmed Pakistan’s stance on India’s negative role against a sovereign neighbour. He also called upon the international community to take note of the Indian acknowledgement of its interference in the then East Pakistan.
With reference to Modi’s allegations against Pakistan at Dhaka University, Khalilullah said Pakistan believed in peaceful co-existence and maintaining good neighbourly relations with India. “[But] the characterisation of bilateral relations by Prime Minister Modi as ‘nuisance’ is unfortunate,” he added.
Khalilullah said the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh are bound not only by the strong bonds of religious affinity but also by the history of their struggle for independence against colonial rule. “Indian attempts to sow seeds of discord between the two brotherly nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh will not succeed,” he added.
Envoys conference
A three-day envoys conference began at the Foreign Office on Tuesday to deliberate key regional issues, including the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the Foreign Office, ambassadors from 14 countries posted in Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) states and Economic Cooperation Organisation regions are participating in the closed-door discussions.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz inaugurated the conference that will focus on the foreign policy challenges facing Pakistan in its immediate and extended neighbourhood, in the light of developments within the region.
The envoys will also deliberate on connectivity in the region and would formulate recommendations for the consideration of the leadership, the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit is expected to brief the conference about the current stalemate in relations between Islamabad and New Delhi. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kabul Syed Ibrar Hussain will also brief the participants about the situation in Afghanistan and efforts to put an end to the prolonged war in that country.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2015.