Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who visited Dhaka on Sunday for the first ministerial-level talks between the neighbours in over a decade, told reporters that the disputes had been addressed “twice”.
Bangladesh has dismissed Pakistan’s assertion that all outstanding issues stemming from the 1971 Liberation War were resolved decades ago, saying key matters remain unsettled despite renewed diplomatic engagement.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who visited Dhaka on Sunday for the first ministerial-level talks between the neighbours in over a decade, told reporters that the disputes had been addressed “twice” — first in 1974 and later during then-President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s visit to Dhaka in the early 2000s.
“In 1974, the issue was resolved in writing. The document is historic and both countries have it,” Dar said. “And later, when General Musharraf came here, he addressed the issue in a very open and candid manner. So the issue was resolved twice. Between brothers, once something is resolved, it is done, even if others may tell us to clean our hearts. Our religion tells us to make a clean start and move forward together.”
Bangladesh flatly disagreed. Speaking after the talks, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain told reporters, “Of course I don’t agree. If we agreed, the problem would have been resolved in the way they claim, right? We stated our position, they stated theirs.”
Dhaka has for decades pressed Islamabad for three key steps: a formal apology for the atrocities committed by the Pakistani military during the 1971 war, repayment of an estimated USD 4.5 billion owed to Bangladesh since independence, and the repatriation of thousands of Pakistanis stranded in the country.
Historians estimate that about 3 million people were killed and some 300,000 women raped during the nine-month war that ended with Bangladesh’s independence. Successive governments in Dhaka have raised the issues at various bilateral forums, but no breakthrough has been achieved.
Symbolic Gestures
Touhid confirmed that these matters were reiterated in Sunday’s meeting despite Dar’s calls for a “clean slate.” “You surely don’t expect that a problem that has lasted 54 years will be solved in a one-hour meeting,” he said. “But both sides agreed that these issues need to be discussed and eventually resolved so they do not hinder relations.”
While the legacy of 1971 continues to cast a shadow over ties, the Dhaka talks produced some tangible outcomes. The two sides signed one agreement abolishing visas for holders of diplomatic and official passports and concluded five memoranda of understanding. These cover cooperation in trade and investment, cultural exchanges, links between their foreign service academies, collaboration between state-run news agencies BSS and APP, and partnerships between the think tanks BIISS in Dhaka and ISSI in Islamabad.
Dar hailed the discussions as “a great beginning,” stressing the “tremendous potential” for deeper economic and trade engagement between Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, analysts caution that without meaningful progress on historic grievances, normalization of relations will remain incomplete. For now, Dhaka appears firm that reconciliation requires more than symbolic gestures. As Touhid underscored, “These issues need to be discussed and resolved so they do not hinder relations.”
