Protests pour in against Pak resolution

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday led an aggrieved nation in denouncing Pakistan for meddling in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.

The PM strongly condemned Pakistan for its reaction to the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah. People irrespective of their age and political belief held rallies, processions and marched towards the Pakistan High Commission and issued statements criticising the Pakistani stand.

“By passing the resolution in its national assembly, Pakistan has proved that it never accepted the victory of Bangladesh in the Liberation War in 1971, and it still has allies in Bangladesh,” the premier told a meeting of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance at Gono Bhaban.

Gonojagoron Mancha, known for spearheading a youth movement for trying suspected war criminals, yesterday issued a 20-hour ultimatum to the government to suspend diplomatic ties with Pakistan until the country sought Bangladesh’s pardon for its stance over the execution of Jamaat leader Mollah.

Imran H Sarker, spokesman of Gonojagoron Mancha, issued the ultimatum while leading a march of hundreds of people towards the Pakistani High Commission in the capital.

The organisation also threatened to lay siege to the Pakistan mission today unless the government met the demand.

While Bangladesh saw protests, Pakistan showed no remorse yesterday as it asked Bangladesh to “avoid blame game.”

In a statement, Pakistan foreign office spokesman Aizaz Ahmed Chowdhury said Bangladesh should avoid blame game and the two countries should try to strengthen their relations, according to Radio Pakistan.

Speaking at the 14-party meeting, Hasina said, “War criminals are citizens of our country. We tried the war criminals. Who are they [Pakistanis] to adopt a resolution? Why are they so compassionate towards war criminals? Who gave them such a right?”

The Pakistani army, she mentioned, in collaboration with the war criminals had killed innocent people, raped women, ransacked and looted houses in 1971. “But we compelled the Pakistan army to surrender.”

Hasina also blasted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan for his remark that “Quader Molla was innocent and charges levelled against him were false.”

Criticising Pakistan for adopting the resolution in its National Assembly, Awami League leaders yesterday asked Pakistan to withdraw the resolution. They termed the incident a threat to Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty.

The AL’s international affairs sub-committee will urge the foreign ministry to consider whether diplomatic ties with Pakistan could be severed.

Sub-committee chairman Muhammad Zamir said the group had discussed the issue and would notify the ministry of its request.

Addressing a press briefing at the party chief’s Dhanmondi office, AL international affairs secretary Faruk Khan said they would raise the issue at today’s AL Central Working Committee meeting.

Chief Whip Abdus Shahid slammed the Pakistan government for passage of a resolution in the country’s parliament.

Gono Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain dubbed the Pakistani stand as tantamount to meddling in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. He demanded that Pakistan withdraw the resolution and statements related to the execution of Mollah.

On Tuesday, the main opposition BNP said the government should have protested the Pakistan assembly’s resolution even earlier.

Sectors Commanders’ Forum, CPB, BSD and different political parties, socio-cultural organisations and professionals issued statements condemning Pakistan’s stand on the war crimes trials in Bangladesh.

Since the execution of Mollah on December 13, Pakistan has drawn huge criticism from the people of Bangladesh for its stand on the issue.

The Pakistan National Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution expressing concern that Mollah had been “hanged for supporting Pakistan in 1971″.

Earlier, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told the Assembly that Mollah was hanged “through a judicial murder”.

The following day, Bangladesh summoned the Pakistan envoy in Dhaka and strongly protested Islamabad’s reaction to the execution of war criminal Quader Mollah.