Pakistani diplomat expelled from Dhaka

[Toramana]

http://www.dawn.com/news/1161488/pakistani-diplomat-expelled-from-dhaka

ISLAMABAD: In a fresh diplomatic row between Pakistan and Bangladesh, a Pakistani High Commission official based in Dhaka was declared persona non grata by the Bangladeshi government and was asked to leave the country.

"Diplomatic official Mazhar Khan was charged by Bangladesh's foreign ministry of running an illegal Indian currency business in Dhaka beside alleged links with militants," a diplomatic source told Dawn.com.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam also confirmed the incident and said the official has reached Islamabad.

"Allegations against him are baseless and the incident is unfortunate," she told Dawn.com.

The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka sent Mazhar Khan immediately home after getting orders from Bangladesh's ministry of foreign affairs.

Sources also said the high commission in Dhaka has not only been under pressure due to the incident but is also being closely watched by Bangladeshi secret services.

Relations between the two countries have recently been at a low point.

In January, Bangladeshi police arrested four suspected members of Islamic State in Dhaka including a regional coordinator for the militant group who told police they had been trained in Pakistan.

Read more: Arrested IS suspects in Bangladesh claim training in Pakistan

Tensions have also risen between the two countries over executions carried out by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina against alleged war criminals from the 1971 war, when the former East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

In December 2013, Pakistan’s envoy in Dhaka had been summoned by the govt regarding a resolution adopted by the Pakistani parliament condemning the execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Molla for his involvement in alleged war crimes of 1971.

Read more:Bangladesh grills Pakistan envoy over Molla resolution

Bangladesh's foreign ministry had said that Molla’s trial and punishment was the country’s internal affair and that the resolution adopted by Pakistan’s National Assembly was uncalled for.

Pakistan’s high commissioner in Dhaka, Mian Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi had been summoned to explain the matter.

Pakistan’s armed forces are alleged to have carried out war crimes in 1971 and the Bangladesh government has been seeking a public apology from Pakistan which is yet to abide by the demand of its South Asian neighbour officially.

[Toramana]

Islam serves the interests of the powerful the best it seems while rendering the dis empowered to be completely helpless.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Islam serves the interests of the powerful the best it seems while rendering the dis empowered to be completely helpless.

The true Islam of the Quran speaks for the interests of the orphans, women, victims of female infanticide, slaves and so forth.

So Islam is actually a force for emancipating the underprivileged and for greater equality.

Pakistan uses Islam to cement its unity as it consists of different ethnic groups with one common religion. It also uses "Islamic" groups to promote the interests of the Pakistani military elite.

Unfortunately there are both Pashtuns and Bengalis who fall for this, and yes even now in Bangladesh there is a percentage of society which is quite pro-Pakistan (and even has an undeclared feeling of racial inferiority). However such people "Pathans" and "razakars" are idiots and do not live in the real world.

Linking the Pakistani state (military elite) with Islam is a fallacy, a fallacy they are keen to promote.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Pakistan needs to fix up and stop spreading terrorism.

- Afghanistan has complained.

- Buddhist Sri Lanka has expelled a Pakistani diplomat over terrorism issues.

- Nepal has expelled a Pakistani diplomat for the same reasons.

- India complains about Pakistani terrorism including the Mumbai massacre.

- Bangladesh is not happy with Pakistani interference in its affairs including Pakistani patronage of the BNP and the radical Jamaat e "Islami" terrorist organization.

American officials have called Pakistan the "epicentre of world terrorism".

Yet, Pakistanis will deny their military and regime have anything to do with destabilizing other countries, even whilst their regime passes parliamentary resolutions over a Bangladeshi citizen executed for killing Bangladeshi civilians on Bangladeshi soil.

The Qader Molla case.

What does this have to do with Pakistan?

Nothing.

Except for the fact that Qader Molla was a member of the Jamaat e "Islami" terrorist organization backed by Pakistan and viewed by it as an important asset to promote its interests in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is getting economically and politically stronger and in 10 years time we will have a different generation of politicians and if Pakistan still exists by then they will be more assertive with Pakistan e.g. hosting Altaf Hussein in a Dhaka conference, as well as issuing statements over the suffering of Baloch.

For the moment we make no comment about Pakistani internal affairs.

How long that will continue we'll have to see.

[Yousufzai]

For the moment we make no comment about Pakistani internal affairs.

How long that will continue we'll have to see.

The problem is that Bangladesh today is an absolute craphole, even worse than Pakistan in terms of poverty, lack of infrastructure, and corruption. I hope Bangladeshis can get get rid of their stale political dynasties and focus on progressing, so they can actually be able to act against Pakistani aggression in the region. It would be great if those who suffered during the 1971 genocide can get reparations from Pakistan.