Bangabandhu would've wished for formal apology for 1971 atrocities: former Pakistani diplomat

Pakistan's former Diplomat Husain Haqqani has said that Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujbur Rahman would have asked for a formal apology from Pakistan for the tragedy inflicted upon the people of Bangladesh in the lead up to the 1971 Liberation War.

"Everybody supports the idea that collective apology helps to heal wounds and enable nations to correct past wrongdoings," said Haqqani according to the Daily Start.

Husain Haqqani is now a senior fellow and director for South and Central Asia at Hudson Institute in Washington.

Earlier, Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States was addressing the concluding ceremony of the World Peace Conference held in Dhaka on December 4-5.

Husain Haqqani described Bangabandhu as one of the greatest political leaders in South Asia and that the people of secular orientation in Pakistan also consider him as the hero of South Asia, who actually pleaded for human rights, justice and democracy. His life was synonymous with Bangalee nationhood, according to the Daily Star.

"Bangabandh spent one fifth of his life in jail, he said, adding that he was arrested by Pakistani rulers 22 times," he said.

Husain Haqqani further mentioned that Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies of the world and fares better than its South Asian peers in terms of female empowerment and literacy, maternal and neonatal fatalities,

"This was possible because of the farsightedness of Bangabandhu and his worthy daughter, today's Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina," he added

( With inputs from ANI )

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