Pakistan must table resolution for 1971 apology and asset settlement in Parliament: Report

Islamabad, Aug 28 (IANS) Pakistan must move beyond diplomatic rhetoric and introduce a resolution in the country's National Assembly and Senate offering an apology for the atrocities committed in 1971 against Bangladeshis, naming those institutions responsible, a report cited on Thursday.

Additionally, the resolution, it said, must instruct the executive to finalise the assets settlement with Bangladesh within a clear, time-bound framework, and commit to a repatriation roadmap for stranded Pakistanis who identify themselves as Pakistani nationals and wish to relocate.

According to a report in Northeast News, casual press remarks or a leader's "expression of regret" are no substitute for accountability.

It emphasised that such a resolution would bind the state, not just one government, signalling that Pakistan's democratic institutions accept accountability. During his official visit to Dhaka over the weekend, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's claim that matters were already "settled" only reinforces why a clear parliamentary vote is overdue.

"During Ishaq Dar's visit to Dhaka on August 24–25, 2025, Bangladesh placed three old but unshakable demands back on the table: a formal apology for 1971, settlement of pre-independence assets, and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis. Dar's reply — that these issues had been "settled" in 1974 and again in 2002 — was flatly rejected by Dhaka. While one agreement and several MoUs were signed, the talks hit a familiar wall: accountability for 1971," the report detailed.

"The question of pre-1971 assets remains unresolved. In April 2025, Bangladesh formally tabled a figure of $4.52 billion as outstanding claims — covering foreign aid, provident funds, and savings instruments. Without a payment plan, any talk of a bilateral 'reset' is little more than cosmetic diplomacy," it added.

Regarding the repatriation issue, the report stressed that the community largely consisted of Urdu-speaking “stranded Pakistanis” - often referred to as 'Biharis' - who supported West Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and later chose repatriation. Many others — especially those who were minors at the time of the war or born afterward — have since been acknowledged by the courts as Bangladeshi citizens.

"The bottom line: Bangladesh has recognised many residents as citizens, but a residual population continues to identify as Pakistani and demands repatriation. Islamabad cannot continue outsourcing the human and security costs of this unfinished commitment to Dhaka," the report emphasised.

"A Parliament-backed apology, paired with a credible repatriation and settlement plan, would unlock the MoUs Dar signed and prevent further diplomatic embarrassment. Without it, every Pakistan–Bangladesh engagement will remain a loop of photo opportunities followed by public pushback," it further noted.

--IANS

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