Sun Aug 24 19:51:59 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the events, written from a neutral perspective:

**Pakistan Urges Bangladesh to “Clean” Hearts, Move Past 1971 Atrocities During Landmark Visit**

**NEW DELHI – August 25, 2025** – In a historic visit, the first in over a decade, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he urged the nation to “clean” its heart and move forward, seemingly dismissing the unresolved issue of Pakistani accountability for the atrocities committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Dar’s comments, made after meeting with Foreign Affairs Advisor to the interim government Touhid Hossein, sparked controversy, particularly his indirect reference to the 1974 Tripartite Agreement and a previous expression of “regret” by General Musharraf. Hossein countered, emphasizing Bangladesh’s desire for “accountability, reparations…remorse and…forgiveness” for the mass killings.

Despite the disagreement on historical issues, the visit yielded several significant developments. Pakistan and Bangladesh signed an agreement allowing visa-free travel for diplomats and officials. Furthermore, MoUs were established to create a Joint Working Group on trade, enhance cooperation between Foreign Service Academies, and foster collaboration between government-owned news agencies and strategic studies institutes.

Pakistan also announced the “Pakistan-Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor,” offering 500 scholarships for Bangladeshi students to study in Pakistan over five years and providing training for 100 Bangladeshi civil servants.

In addition to government meetings, Dar paid visits to Professor Mohammed Yunus, Chief Adviser to the government of Bangladesh, the Ameer of Jamaat-E-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Hossein acknowledged China’s support for improved Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, expressing a desire for Bangladesh to have the same kind of relations with Pakistan in the way it maintains relation with other countries.

While the visit marks a step toward normalizing relations, the deep-seated issue of the 1971 atrocities remains a significant hurdle in fully reconciling the two nations. The success of the newly established cooperative agreements will likely depend on addressing these historical grievances.

Read More