‘Bangladesh and Pakistan should explore areas for mutual benefits’

Diplomatic Correspondent :
Pakistan’s think tanks have observed that there are many common areas between Bangladesh and Pakistan to move forward for mutual benefits.
They said that South Asia has some common pressing issues, including climate change and poverty, and a single nation cannot address these matters alone where collaboration is urgent.
The observation came during a media interaction with Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhury, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and Ambassador Asif Durrani, former Ambassador of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UAE in the residence of Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka yesterday.
High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui and Deputy High Commissioner Qamar Abbas Khokhar, among others, were present on the occasion.
“The relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan cannot move forward by looking back. Many high level Pakistani political leaders had expressed regrets in the past and the present about the massacre that happened in 1971,” Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhury said.
He observed, “Pakistan wants good ties with Bangladesh people. There are good relations at people’s level.”
“About the bilateral relations Pakistan should be able to maintain its ties with the countries it thinks proper. The same way Bangladesh should also exercise the same choice of ties with others,” added Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhury.
He said, “There are many commonalities and areas to explore between Bangladesh and Pakistan. At the people’s level, enormous goodwill exists. I will not lose hope because in the last one decade more interactions have taken place. I think leadership changes, but people stay. I think the two
countries will recognise the merits of cooperation to maintain civilised, good and healthy relations for wider interests of the people.”
In reply to the SAARC, he said that he did not think it was ‘dead’ rather it should go on until it finds a political will which was missing.
Regarding the Rohingya issue, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui said that Pakistan was doing its best on the international level to stand with Bangladesh to resolve the crisis.