Amid diplomatic row between Bangladesh and Pakistan, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Islamabad Suhrab Hossain was summoned on Monday afternoon.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque confirmed UNB about the latest development but said he is yet to know about further details. It seemed to be an act of ‘retaliation’ as the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry earlier summoned Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Shuja Alam following the missing, harassment and subsequent return of a staff member of Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad, and protested it strongly.
The relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan have got estranged after Pakistan’s ‘brazen interference’ in Bangladesh’s internal affairs over the execution of two top war criminals in November last year. There have been incidents of ‘retaliation’ by Pakistan when its diplomat Fareena Arshad had to leave Dhaka on December 23 amid an allegation that she was involved in ‘terror financing’.
Dhaka then had to shift former Counselor-Political at the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Moushumi Rahman to Lisbon at the request of Islamabad. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, recently in Parliament, said the government is not yet thinking of severing its diplomatic ties with Pakistan. “We’re observing the whole situation. Time is very important here. We don’t want to do anything right now (cut ties with Pakistan). But, future will say what direction the relations will go to,” he told Parliament on February 2.
The same day, the government summoned Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Shuja Alam and protested the ‘harassment’ against Bangladesh High Commission staff in Islamabad by the Pakistani plainclothesmen. The staff with its Islamabad diplomatic mission returned home unhurt after remaining traceless for hours.
Jahangir Hossain, personal officer of the Press Section at Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad, went missing on February 1, and his family and colleagues remained clueless about his whereabouts for nearly seven hours.
Later, it was found that he was blindfolded and harassed by Pakistani plainclothesmen. Earlier on the same day, detectives in Dhaka detained an official of Pakistan High Commission for his “suspicious movement” and later found some specific allegations against him.
However, the official, assistant private secretary at the Press Section-Abrar Ahmed Khan – was released and handed over to the High Commission.
