Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, has called for a future of unity, reconciliation, and shared prosperity between Pakistan and Bangladesh, urging Bangladesh to “clean your heart and move together”.
His call for “cleaning hearts” followed journalists queries about settling the unresolved issues of 1971 and whether Pakistan would offer apology to Bangladesh for the 1971 genocide.
Speaking after a high-level engagement in Dhaka on his first-ever tour, Dar reflected on the long and complex relationship between the two nations, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to building a new era of bilateral harmony.
“We resolved to work together – not just with each other, but also at multilateral forums,” Dar said. “We are already working together. We meet frequently on international stages, and tomorrow, we will both be in Jeddah, standing side by side for the causes that matter to our region and our people.”
Highlighting the vast potential for economic collaboration, Dar emphasised the complementary nature of the two economies. “The scope for doing good for the people of our two countries is tremendous,” he said. “There is so much synergy – especially in trade, intermediary goods, and industrial cooperation. We are working to take our economic and trade relationship to new heights.”
Dar took a moment to revisit a pivotal chapter in bilateral history, 1971, and the 1974 recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan.
“In 1974, we resolved the issues. The document is available to both countries,” he noted. “Later, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came forward and, in a very open and candid manner, addressed the matter directly with the people of Bangladesh.”
He described the moment as a gesture of familial reconciliation. “Between brothers, once this is done, Islam says: clean your heart. So let us move forward. Let us work together. We have a bright future.”
Dar stressed that the issues had been resolved not once, but twice – with Nawaz Sharif speaking on behalf of the entire Pakistani nation to the people of Bangladesh. “This was not just politics,” he said. “This was a moral and spiritual step.”
Quoting Islamic teachings, Dar invoked the Quran and Sunnah: “Religion tells us that you should have the cleanest heart and move together. We are a family. We must work together.”
He concluded with a appeal to Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, whom he affectionately referred to as “my brother Touhid”: “Let us do better, as much as possible, for the people of our two countries.”