Headlines
Pakistan slams Modi's statement in Dhaka
Islamabad, June 9
Pakistan on Tuesday slammed
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's acknowledgement of his country's
involvement in the 1971 war, saying his statement confirms India's
negative role against a sovereign neighbouring state.
"Indian
politicians not only indulge in actions that are in violation of the
United Nations' Charter but also take pride in recalling their
interference in the internal affairs of other states," Foreign Office
spokesperson Qazi M. Khalilullah said in a statement here.
The
spokesperson said Pakistan believed in peaceful co-existence and
maintaining good neighbourly relations with India, and that
characterisation of bilateral relations by Prime Minister Modi as
"nuisance" was unfortunate.
"The people of Pakistan and
Bangladesh are bound not only by the strong bonds of religious affinity
but also by the history of their struggle for independence against
colonial rule. Indian attempts to sow seeds of discord between the two
brotherly nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh will not succeed," he
stressed.
The Foreign Office spokesperson urged the international
community to take note of Indian acknowledgement of its interference in
Bangladesh, which was then East Pakistan.
The statement was
echoed by Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed
Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who emphasised India still wants to
create conditions to destabilise Pakistan.
"It appears that India
has still not accepted the existence of Pakistan," he said, while
speaking on the floor of the National Assembly.
Shah said a resolution should be passed by the National Assembly condemning the Indian prime minister's statement.
Modi
made the statement on Sunday during his official visit to Bangladesh,
which was East Pakistan before becoming a separate country after the
1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
The Indian prime minister
recalled his participation in the Jana Sangh campaign backing the rebels
in former East Pakistan as he accepted a "liberation war" honour on
behalf of former Indian premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He said the
establishment of Bangladesh was a desire of every Indian citizen and
that was why Indian forces fought along with the Mukti Bahini, thus
creating a new country.
Modi said he was one of the young
volunteers who came to Delhi in 1971 to participate in the satyagraha
movement launched by Jana Sangh to garner support for the Mukti Bahini
members.