Dhaka cautions Islamabad over history distortion

Bangladesh has warned Pakistan against distorting history after its High Commission in Dhaka published a video on Bangladesh’s independence.

The foreign ministry had summoned the Pakistan high commissioner to its office Tuesday to lodge a protest over publishing the video.

High Commissioner of Pakistan Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui answered the summons at a meeting with Foreign Secretary (Bilateral and Consular) Quamrul Ahsan on Tuesday, officials said.

The Foreign Ministry said, "The government of Bangladesh strongly rebuts such baseless and unfounded narratives".

Secretary Kamrul Ahsan stated that this is an instance of purposeful abuse of social media by the High Commission of Pakistan in Dhaka, says a report on UNB.

"Such breach of diplomatic norms and practices and deliberate propaganda to spread shameless lies shall not only jeopardise bilateral relations, but would render a great disservice to succeeding generations of historians, intelligentsia as well as common people who champion the cause of truth and justice," he said.

"Nothing can be farthest from the truth than claiming that the architect of independent Bangladesh and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not want Bangladesh's independence or that Bangladesh's independence was declared by anybody other than the Great Leader himself."

Any such misadventure from Pakistan or for that matter any quarters in Pakistan would threaten normal ties, the Foreign Ministry added.

According to a bdnews24.com report, Pakistan High Commission’s official Facebook page shared the video in which Pakistan claimed the then Major Ziaur Rahman declared independence in 1971 and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not want to wage war against Pakistan.

Several media outlets in Bangladesh earlier published news about the video, which was later removed from the high commission’s Facebook page as it sparked controversy.