Discussions over unresolved issues of 1971 between Bangladesh and Pakistan will continue in the days ahead, said Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on Sunday in a press briefing, after the bilateral meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
When asked about Dar's claim that the issues have been resolved twice since independence, Hossain said, "Both parties have presented each other's position. I can assure you that we have clarified our positions on three issues. Both sides agree that these matters need to be resolved. We need to put these issues behind us for bilateral relations to move forward smoothly.
"Both sides are in agreement that we will continue discussing these matters."
The unresolved issues include Bangladesh's demands for an official apology for the atrocities committed during and ahead of the 1971 Liberation War, reparations, and a solution for stranded Pakistanis here.
"You cannot expect that the issues accumulated over 54 years can be solved in one day's meeting," Hossain said.
He stressed that Bangladesh's relations with Pakistan were deliberately held back by the previous regime, adding, "We want our relationship with Pakistan to be similar to our relationship with other countries".
The last time a high-powered Pakistani delegation visited Bangladesh was in November 2012, featuring Pakistan's then Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khan.
During Dar's latest visit, the two countries signed one agreement and five memoranda of understanding (MoUs). The agreement allows visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic and official passports. The MoUs cover the establishment of a joint working group on trade and commerce, cooperation between Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha and the Associated Press of Pakistan, collaboration between the foreign service academies of both countries, and ties between the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies and its Pakistani counterpart.
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