Pakistan

Plea for forgiveness: Imran requested Bangladesh PM to stay hangings

PTI chairman wrote a letter to Sheikh Hasina on Nov 21

Irfan Ghauri/our Correspondent November 23, 2015

PTI Chairman Imran Khan. PHOTO: REUTERS.

ISLAMABAD:

While Pakistan has now voiced its concern over the execution of Bangladeshi opposition leaders, Imran Khan had already written a letter to the Bangladeshi premier, requesting her to stay the hangings.

Salauddin Quadir Chowdhury, leader of the Bangladesh National Party, and Ali Ahsan Mojaheed of the Jamaat-e-Islami were hanged in Dhaka on Sunday after being convicted of war crimes committed during the 1971 conflict with Pakistan.

The executions drew a sharp response, especially from Islamabad, with the Foreign Office and Interior Minister both expressing serious concern over the ‘flawed trial’ of the convicts. But before that on November 21, PTI chairman Imran Khan had sent a letter to Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina asking her to forgive Salauddin.

“If his execution is stopped, it will be in the larger interest not only of our region, but for the establishment of world peace and justice,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman wrote.

He claimed there was “overwhelming” evidence that the convicted leader was studying in Punjab University at that time. “As such there is no possibility for him to commit the crime in question,” he stated.

Parliamentary resolution

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has submitted a resolution in the National Assembly secretariat against the hanging of the two Bangladeshi leaders.

PPP lawmakers Shazia Mari, Nafeesa Shah, Azra Fazal and Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah submitted the petition on Monday, urging the parliament to pass a resolution to condemn the executions.

The proposed resolution states: “This house vociferously condemns the recent judicial murder of two veteran leaders in Bangladesh. Such revengeful and unlawful actions against those who supported [a] united Pakistan back in 1971 shows complete disrespect to basic human rights and international laws. We demand from this platform that government should formally register its protest at the international level and global efforts should be made to avoid such illegitimate actions in the future.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (31)

Anyone | 8 years ago | Reply Dear ik, hope you haven't forgot about the Asia bibi case. However her life does not matter does it? Only jamayat e Islamic leaders lifes matter..wow....! Anyway you should know what these leaders did even after '71. The torchers they committed on minorities, the hatred they spread can never be forgiven even if we forgive them for '71. Apology can only be granted for mistakes...not crimes...

Vectra | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistan may have short memory and can forget the atrocities and genocides committed since last 40 or 100 years etc etc but other are not like that.You forgot doesn't mean others will also forget.

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ajeet | 8 years ago | Reply @Wilson: We don't care what our Army is doing as long as it keeps things under control. India gained territory after independence and Pakistan lost Half of its.

Wilson | 8 years ago | Reply The current judiciary and the government in Bangladesh is just an Indian puppet. It is already being condemned by the world at large for holding farce elections, an election which was boycotted by all the mainstream political parties like JI and BNP. This also explains why so many Indians are commenting here, cause they can`t just mind their own business.

Wilson | 8 years ago | Reply @Asif: Well thats what the Indians and the Awami league says thats not the neutral viewpoint, which points into one direction, that you are using a fake name to suggest that you are a Pakistani which you are not. Why don

t you mind your own business and see the abuses which the Indian army is doing in Kashmir, Khalistan and North East Indian states. focus on your own issues. Its our internal matters and therefore shouldn

t concern any outsiders regarding what we intend to do.

Walsh | 8 years ago | Reply @Hameed: Brave is also not the one who violated Pakistan`s international borders and supportted armed militants of the awami league against Pakistan and also carried out widespread human rights abuses just like its been doing in Kashmir, Khalistan and in the north eastern Indian states.

Punjabi-Kuda | 8 years ago | Reply @Bilal:: So now IK has also become a diplomat without holding any credible qualification of being a Diplomat? or did Cricket qualified him as a diplomat?

Punjabi-Kuda | 8 years ago | Reply Does Pakistan forget every once in a while that Bangladesh is not part of West Pakistan and it is a sovereign country and further that They do not not like Pakistan.

Ozair | 8 years ago | Reply Judging from the stupid comments, most didnt even bother to read this article past the headline.

nadeem | 8 years ago | Reply Right or wrong, the deed is done and they have been hanged. As a Pakistani who wishes that our Bengali brothers had received fair political treatment during 1950's and 1960's so that they would not have opted for separation, I hope the healing can now begin and that in future Bangladesh and Pakistan have a friendly relationship.

Bilal | 8 years ago | Reply As if the other countries ate not already interfering in Pakistan.! I see quite a lot if genuises post here. Requesting Pakistan to do something and vice versa is not interfering in anyones intrnal affairs. Its called Diplomacy . Ever heard if it ? Threatening ir fircing someone to do domething is a different matter. Once again , salute to the only leader in Pakistan. Imran Khan and none other.

Salim Khan | 8 years ago | Reply If Pakistan gets involved in another country's matters then every country in the world has right to interfere in our decisions too. That is why the concept of Sovereign country is devised so that no country interferes in other's activities.

ghazal | 8 years ago | Reply @Malik Tariq: Mulla fazrulla was not in Pakistan when Peshawar incident happen??? Is he also innocent

Sandip | 8 years ago | Reply @Bilal_izat@yahoo.com: And taliban khan too. And pretty justifiably so.

Ch. Allah Daad | 8 years ago | Reply First seek forgiveness from Pakistanis on torturing them for four months.

Feedback | 8 years ago | Reply Its not his job to write letters, he is not even the CM of KPK let aside a foreign minister or PM.

Hameed | 8 years ago | Reply @Aamir - Toronto:

What a brave leader,

Brave? By supporting murderers and rapist, while sitting at home? Very strange definition of brave. Brave were those who got freedom in Bengal in the face of military hostility.

Kaleem | 8 years ago | Reply Those people are saying Pakistan should mind their own business should read the 1974 Dhakka declaration. Secondly, at the time of the war crimes Salahudin was studying in Lahore...but the so called tribunal rejected to hear the witnesses and one of them also being a Bangladeshi high court judge who was a witness and was ready to testify.

Malik Tariq | 8 years ago | Reply @Raj NYC: This judicial murder after 44years of an alleged offence committed by Salahuddin Qadir Chowdhry who was not even present in BD when he was supposed to have committed this offence is brutal and barbaric. One of the witness was an American diplomat who gave a sworn statement that Salahuddin travelled with him and was not present at place where alleged crime was committed. If Mr Raj is consumed by hatred, this is his problem.

Abdul Rasheed | 8 years ago | Reply When will we learn to mind our own business.

Lala Gee | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistan executed close to 1000 ppl several of whom where convicted by Military courts without any due process. Why does not Imran shed crocodile letters for those ppl? What about the hundreds of pakistanis executed every year by Saudi Arabia ? Why such care for 2 Bangladeshis ? When pakistan is yet to acknowledge , apologize for the 1971 genocide ?

PakSal | 8 years ago | Reply It seems the government and judiciary in Bangladesh worked together to convict these two. They decided to take lives of the two guys for their own ulterior motives. What hopelessness? What a punishment for their support for a united Pakistan then.

Bilal_izat@yahoo.com | 8 years ago | Reply 180 million people and only 1 Imran Khan! No doubt Imran Khan is Pakistan Khan.

amir | 8 years ago | Reply Man with principaled stand always preached forgiveness for mass murderers be it TTP or jamat-i-Islami of Bangladesh. Though never openly suggested same for ISIS or Al quida but views are known. Liberal face of Pakistan.

Ali | 8 years ago | Reply IK is the true leader looking for Pakistan's interest. Did Sharif even know what was going on or was he dreaming about metros and corruption

Aamir - Toronto | 8 years ago | Reply What a brave leader, I wish Nawaz Sharif display the same courage to speak up against the injustice in Bangladesh !!!!

ghazal | 8 years ago | Reply USA and pakistan are the Only two countries in the world have direct and indirect intrest in internal affair of all countries.

Asif | 8 years ago | Reply First we need to have the courage and honesty to admit our war crimes instead of hiding behind fake argument it was a civil war. No it wasn't. It was a professionally trained army with all the massive weaponry and military gadgets unleashed on civilian population. Bangladeshis are skeptical about forgiveness when we don't even admit the atrocities.

cautious | 8 years ago | Reply Everyone wants to be either the PM or FM ... but most don't want to run for office and in IK's case he conveniently ignores he lost the election by a landslide.

Hameed | 8 years ago | Reply Khan has always been a supporter of terrorists. If he can support Taliban the killers of 70000 Pakistanis than he can surely support killers of thousands of Bengalis.

Raj NYC | 8 years ago | Reply But Why? Begaani Shaadi Mey Abdulla Dewaana! Mind your own (dirty?) business.

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