No apology

This refers to the article, 'An apology for Bangladesh' (Jan 25, 2020) by Mosharraf Zaidi. The article mainly talked about how Pakistan does not match India on the international stage and how we are treated in the world etc. That’s all true and no one can shy away from these facts. What I could not understand is the point the writer made about Pakistan apologising to Bangladesh and its people for the atrocities in 1970-71. I would like to draw his attention to the fact that Pakistan has no reason to officially apologize to any country, as whatever happened in 1971 was utterly an internal and political matter. There was a fiasco in the country that caused the uprising of a particular community which spoke a different language. Right or wrong, Bangladesh did not even exist then. Shaikh Mujeeb and his Bengali supporters were still holding Pakistani nationality.

Some respected columnists often forget that as retaliation to the then Pakistan Army's action, mass bloodshed of Biharis was then carried out by Mukti Bahni. This happened in March 1971 and after the fall of Dhaka in December 1971 ('Witness to Surrender' by Brig Siddiq Salik). Will the writer also suggest that the Bangladesh government apologize for the killing of those innocent people? Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have diplomatic relations with each other, which excelled in the era of Begum Khalida Zia. It's only Haseena Shaikh who has some hostility against Pakistan but that’s her own political choice. Asking Pakistan to apologise again and again is not the right move. We need to forget the bitter past, forgive each other and move on.

Dr Syed Erfan Asif

Ajax, Canada