War for cutting diplomatic ties Between Dhaka, Islamabad Started

// Shamsul Basunia//

Once the row between Dhaka and Islamabad started that continuing today and will continue the days to come till the cutting the ties of the twos.After a couple of days of summoning Islamabad’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh foreign ministry, Dhaka’s high commissioner to Pakistan Suhrab Hossain was summoned on Monday afternoon.

Islamabad's summons is considered as an act of ‘retaliation’ as the Bangladesh foreign ministry earlier summoned Pakistan high commissioner in Dhaka Shuja Alam. The relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have got estranged after Pakistan’s ‘brazen interference’ in Bangladesh’s internal affairs over the execution of two top war criminals in November last year. They are BNP’s Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Jamaat’s Ali Ahsan Muzahid.

Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali, recently said in parliament that the government is not yet thinking of severing its diplomatic ties with Pakistan. `We are observing the situation. Time is very important here. We do not want to do anything right now cutting ties with Pakistan. But, future will say what direction the relations will go to, he told parliament on 2 February.’

The same day, the government summoned Pakistan high commissioner in Dhaka Shuja Alam and protested the ‘harassment’ against Bangladesh high commission staff in Islamabad by the Pakistani plainclothesmen.The staff with its Islamabad diplomatic mission returned home unhurt after remaining traceless for hours.

 Dhaka summoned the Pakistani diplomat following missing and harassment of a staff member of Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad, and protested the matter strongly. There have been incidents of ‘retaliation’ by Pakistan when its diplomat Fareena Arshad had to leave Dhaka on 23 December amid an allegation that she was involved in ‘terror financing’.

Dhaka then had to shift former counselor-political at the Bangladesh high commissioner to Pakistan Moushumi Rahman to Lisbon at the request of Islamabad. Jahangir Hossain, personal officer of the press section at Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad, went missing on 1 February, and his family and colleagues remained clueless about his whereabouts for nearly seven hours.

Later, it was found that he was blindfolded and harassed by Pakistani plainclothesmen.Earlier on the same day, detectives in Dhaka detained an official of Pakistan high commission for his “suspicious movement” and later found some specific allegations against him.

However, the official, assistant private secretary at the press section-Abrar Ahmed Khan - was released and handed over to the high commission.