Visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan

Yet, the Pakistanis never bothered to acknowledge their inhuman act. Their attempt to portray our glorious war of liberation as India inspired campaign to break Pakistan only adds insult to injury. Thus when we see a Pakistani PM or President being accorded honour in Dhaka brings back memories that are just too disgusting to bear. For those who lost near and dear ones, the days that a Pakistani dignitary spends in Bangladesh is tantamount to a feeling of suffocation that only those who suffer can tell. Those politicians who express solidarity with Pakistan without questions of 1971 being answered are traitors about whom the less said the better. True, the Government must maintain diplomatic ties with Pakistan, even in the face of Pakistan's intransigence but if we have self-dignity and honour, we should never demonstrate any warmth of friendship and just be correct protocol-wise.

Pakistan has its sights elsewhere and in Bangladesh; it has no interest except in playing its anti-India game. This is one other reason for Bangladesh to be cautious about Pakistan for we need India for our future and not Pakistan whose influence in Bangladesh can be only negative. We should make our relations with Pakistan dependent upon their apologising for their misdeeds in 1971. On our part, we should set records straight and revise the figure of 3 million deaths. The emphasis should not be in figures but on intent. The Pakistanis killed ONLY Bengali speaking people in 1971 which is genocide. But 3 million deaths? Hitler could kill only 5 million Jews in 6 years through mass extermination that should hint how many were killed in Bangladesh in 1971. Three lakhs is a more realistic figure to lend credibility to our just claim.