Pakistan, which has been "unapologetic" according to a recent report, once again aggravated the wounds of millions of survivors of the 1971 Liberation War by ignoring demands for accountability in one of South Asia's deadliest genocides.
While on his Dhaka visit last month — the first ever by a Pakistani foreign minister after 2012 — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar ignited controversy again by asserting that two of the three problems attributed to 1971 had already been settled.
His statement followed Bangladesh's reiteration of its long-standing demands: apology for the genocide, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, and Dhaka's rightful share of pre-1971 assets of undivided Pakistan.
Political commentator Anjuman Islam, writing for Eurasia Review, observed that Dar attempted to fortify relations without repairing the long-standing wounds of history. Under questioning about whether Pakistan had switched its position on admitting atrocities or paying reparations, Dar persisted with previous denials.
"Dar claimed the issues were resolved once in 1974 and again in the early 2000s. And in a sheer disregard for victims and survivors of 1971 war crimes, Dar even went far to claim that in light of Islam, Bangladesh citizens should clean their hearts out," wrote Islam.
"The unapologetic Pakistan minister sermonized to boost ties with Bangladesh invoking Islam but refused to accept war apology and reparation, undermining Pakistan credibility as scholars in Bangladesh and war heroes ask the Pakistan diplomat to clean out his heart first," the writer added.
The report mentions how diplomatic interactions between Islamabad and Dhaka increased after the Awami League government was overthrown in August 2024. It also mentions how, during the few months leading up to Dar's visit, top officials of the proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which is affiliated with 26/11 architect Hafiz Saeed, tried to justify the crimes of 1971 on anti-India grounds.
"The patronage of Pakistani state behind these rabidly radical elements have been evident with their public appearance, further exposing the collusion between state actors and non-state armed outfits to project millions of Bengali victims as Indian stooges, justifying further genocidal action against India," the Eurasia Review report detailed.
Even after Pakistan's military defeat on December 16, 1971, the report contends that the successive governments in Islamabad have done "everything in their power" to protect perpetrators and delegitimize the pain of millions in the last half-century, constituting a "collective global shame."
It also brings to light Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's war-mongering against India that aimed to vindicate Pakistan's role in 1971, and the Two-Nation Theory narrative resuscitated by Army Chief General Asim Munir of making Hindu-Muslim divisions the basis of Pakistan.
Bangladesh, in the meantime, insists on its demands. Dhaka has demanded USD $4.32 billion as its rightful share of assets belonging to undivided Pakistan, in addition to USD $200 million foreign aid received during cyclone relief operations in 1970. "Neither Dar nor Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs had issued come out with assurance to refund the amount, upholding a long-standing denial," the report noted.
Humanitarian aspects too are unresolved. Bangladesh continues to host some 3,24,000 stranded Pakistanis (Urdu-speaking Biharis) in Mohammadpur, Dhaka's Geneva Camp — a colony frequently associated with criminality and extremism. While Bangladesh had identified 195 Pakistani officers as guilty of genocide, mass rape, and other atrocities in 1972, none were brought to justice; rather, they were assimilated back into Pakistani society with state benefits.
The report also remembers Pakistan's persistent defence of leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JeI-BD) who worked with the Pakistani army during the war. When the government of Sheikh Hasina hanged these leaders for committing war crimes, Islamabad protested in the open. In December 2013, the Pakistani National Assembly criticized the hanging of Abdul Qader Mollah, the "Butcher of Mirpur." Once again, in 2016, after the hanging of JeI-BD chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Pakistan's Foreign Office stated: "His only sin was upholding the constitution and laws of Pakistan." The remark stirred widespread indignation in Bangladesh, further deteriorating bilateral relations.
The report concludes by stating that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) still continues to target Bangladesh, employing the nation as a hub for sending militants, fuelling Islamist radicalism, and planning terrorist operations against India.
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