Pakistan violated 1974 tripartite accord: Law minister

The 1974 tripartite agreement is no longer valid as Pakistan violated the accord by not taking their stranded citizens back from Bangladesh, Law Minister Anisul Huq said today.

“According to a law, if any party of an agreement does not fulfil the condition, the deal becomes invalid,” the minister told reporters after addressing a programme at Dhanmondi’s Bilia auditorium in Dhaka.

In that case, the 1974 tripartite accord is not acceptable as Pakistan refused to take its stranded citizens back, henceforth breaching the agreement, the minister said.

Following the execution of top war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami on May 11, Pakistan issued a press statement saying, “The 1974 Tripartite Agreement is the cornerstone of relations between the two countries. It needs to be emphasised that, as part of the agreement, the Government of Bangladesh decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency.”

In reply, Bangladesh envoy in Islamabad said Nizami was executed after the completion of all legal process and the country's highest court had pronounced the verdict.

Diplomatic tensions between Bangladesh and Pakistan seem to be escalating, with each government summoning the other's envoy to lodge strong protests over the execution of Jamaat chief Nizami.

Dhaka on May 12 summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner in Bangladesh for the second time in three days, about five hours after Islamabad summoned the Bangladesh envoy there.