Pakistan High Commission clarifies report

The Pakistan High Commission (HC) in Dhaka yesterday clarified a report on the meeting of the Pakistan high commissioner with the law minister published in different newspapers, which says a "change in Pakistan's position on war crimes trial."
Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Qureshi called on Law Minister Shafique Ahmed at his secretariat office on Tuesday. The report which was published yesterday was made quoting the law minister.
The Pakistan High Commission in a press release said, "The High Commission of Pakistan wishes to dispel this erroneous impression which is contrary to the facts. It has always been a consistent stance of Pakistan that the war crimes trial is an internal matter of Bangladesh as it only relates to the Bangladeshi nationals."
"The government of Pakistan is satisfied at the remarks of the foreign minister of Bangladesh that Bangladesh would try its own citizens involved in war crimes and that the government-planned trial of war criminals would not, by any means, affect Bangladesh's bilateral relations with Pakistan," it added.
Asked about the Pakistan HC's statement, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday told The Daily Star that the High Commission has made it very clear that Pakistan will not interfere in the Bangladesh government's move to try the war criminals of this country.
In February, the Pakistan high commissioner created confusion about their position with regard to the trial of war criminals by saying that the issue of war criminals between Dhaka and Islamabad had been resolved in 1974 through signing a tripartite agreement among Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, said the law minister.
He also said their previous statement was confusing, but their recent statement shows a change in their position regarding the trial of war criminals.
The government, however, will not try the Pakistani prisoners of war, the law minister added.