Pakistani–Bangladeshi relations
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| Pakistan | Bangladesh |
The bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh are influenced by the fact that Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan until 1971, when it achieved independence after the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. For close to five years after 1971 relations were non-existent as Pakistan refused to recognise Bangladesh. As part of Shimla Agreement, India sought to make sure that Pakistan would take steps to recognize Bangladesh. Pakistan sought China's help in blocking Bangladesh's entry into United Nations till 1974. Behind the scene India rallied behind Bangladesh to help gain international recognition. By end of March 1974, 98 countries had recognized Bangladesh[1]. Pakistan ultimately recognized Bangladesh on January 18, 1976 and relations improved considerably in the 1980s and 1990s.
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[edit] Independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan
Until 1971, Bangladesh was a province of Pakistan, known as East Bengal or simply East Pakistan. Relations between the two wings grew strained over the lack of official recognition for the Bengali language, democracy, regional autonomy, disparity between the two wings, ethnic discrimination and the central government's weak and inefficient relief efforts after the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which had affected millions in East Bengal. These grievances led to several political agitations in East Bengal and ultimately a fight for full independence. In March 1971, the Pakistani Army began "Operation Searchlight," which targeted intellectuals, political activists, Hindus and other minorities.[2] The figure of people killed by Pakistani forces remains disputed, with estimates ranging from 300,000 to 3 million;[3][4] about 8-10 million people became refugees in India.[5] Many Bengali policemen and soldiers mutinied and nationalists formed a guerrilla force, the Mukti Bahini with Indian support. When a declared war broke out between India and Pakistan in December 1971, the Indian Army defeated Pakistani forces in East Bengal and the independent state of Bangladesh was created.[6]
[edit] Establishment and growth of bilateral relations
Pakistan and sympathetic nations such as Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of China refused to recognise Bangladesh, which in turn demanded an apology for the war crimes committed by Pakistani forces. Pakistan pulled out of the Commonwealth of Nations after the body's decision to induct Bangladesh. Diplomatic relations were not established until after the assassination and overthrow of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's founding leader and president in 1975.[7] Pakistan immediately recognised Bangladesh and the successor regime and gifted 50,000 tonnes of food,[7] and formal diplomatic relations were established on 18th of January in 1976.[8] Both nations reached an agreement in 1975 in which Bangladesh accepted half of Pakistan's pre-1971 external debt but Bangladesh's claims on receiving half of the country's pre-1971 assets and credit went unresolved.[8] Relations improved considerably under the military regimes of Ziaur Rahman and Hossain Mohammad Ershad in Bangladesh, which had grown more distant from its war ally, India.[9][8]
Five Pakistani heads of government made official visits to Bangladesh since the 1980s and numerous trade and cultural agreements have been signed.[10] Common concerns over India's regional power have influenced strategic cooperation and Pakistan even developed military ties with Bangladesh and "gifted" several squadrons of F-6 fighter aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force in the late 1980s.[10] In 2008, Pakistan offered to share nuclear technology with Bangladesh and aid in the construction of the latter's first nuclear power plant. [11]
[edit] Bihari refugees issue
An issue of continuing controversy is the status and return of Bihari Muslims, also called Stranded Pakistanis to Pakistan.[12] Numbered around 540,000, these communities had migrated to what became East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar after the partition of India in 1947.[8] During the liberation war, these communities supported the Pakistani government and later wanted to emigrate to Pakistan, which stalled and hesitated.[8] By 1982 about 127,000 had been repatriated, leaving about 250,000 people still demanding repatriation.[8] In 1985 there was some progress in this area when Pakistani president Zia-ul-Haq agreed to accept the "stranded Pakistanis."[8] In a 2002 visit to Bangladesh, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf signed numerous bilateral agreements but said he could not allow the emigration of Biharis to Pakistan for the time being.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Situation in the Indian Subcontinent (English). www.mofa.go.jp (1972). Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ Sarmila Bose Anatomy of Violence: Analysis of Civil War in East Pakistan in 1971: Military Action: Operation Searchlight Economic and Political Weekly Special Articles, 8 October 2005
- ^ Matthew White's Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century
- ^ Virtual Bangladesh : History : The Bangali Genocide, 1971
- ^ Rummel, Rudolph J., "Statistics of Democide: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900", ISBN 3-8258-4010-7, Chapter 8, Table 8.2 Pakistan Genocide in Bangladesh Estimates, Sources, and Calcualtions: lowest estimate 2 million claimed by Pakistan (reported by Aziz, Qutubuddin. Blood and tears Karachi: United Press of Pakistan, 1974. pp. 74,226), all the other sources used by Rummel suggest a figure of between 8 and 10 million with one (Johnson, B. L. C. Bangladesh. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1975. pp. 73,75) that "could have been" 12 million.
- ^ Bangladeshi war for independence
- ^ a b Fall of the Bangabandhu
- ^ a b c d e f g Bangladesh - Pakistan
- ^ The Zia regime
- ^ a b Bangladesh's emotional scars
- ^ Pakistan offers to share N-technology with Bangladesh
- ^ a b Musharraf's visit
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