Why Assam Prefers a Stable and Progressive Regime in Dhaka

When Bangladesh's interim government in Dhaka dared to ask for an apology from Islamabad for the genocide engineered by the unruly Pakistani armed forces during the 1971 liberation war, it made global news.

- NAVA THAKURIA

Even though the caretaker government head, Professor Muhammad Yunus, continues insisting on resolving many issues with Pakistan, the ousted Bangla Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was more determined to seek an unconditional apology from the government in Islamabad till she was compelled to resign following a student-led public uprising in July-August last year and even flee to take temporary shelter in India.

Always standing against Hasina, the current regime in Dhaka thus echoed a similar sentiment to the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The stage was set for a foreign secretary-level meeting in Dhaka on 17 April, where the host delegation raised the issue in front of their Pakistani counterparts. The Foreign Office Consultation, held after 15 years, also witnessed a series of other issues placed by the host team led by Bangladesh foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin.

The Pakistani delegation led by its foreign secretary Amna Baloch reportedly insisted on 'continuing engagements' with talks. Bangladesh also demanded a financial compensation of USD 4.32 billion from Pakistan as a share from the combined assets of the undivided Islamic Republic of Pakistan before it was born.

Mentionable is that Bangladesh claims around 30 lakh million people were killed and more than two lakh Bengali women were raped by the Pakistani troops during the 1971 Muktijuddha. Soon after the Indian armed forces supported the Muktijujarus and the Pakistani forces officially surrendered on 16 December 1971, which marked the victory of the Mukti Bahini. Dhaka also pushed for repatriating nearly three lakh Pakistani citizens (who refused to take Bangladeshi citizenship and continued to be stranded in Bangladesh) to their home country. The host delegation also demanded a share of foreign aid funds (around USD 200 million), which was generated for the victims of the 1970 Bhola tropical cyclone that killed over five lakh people in the then East Pakistan.