Bangladesh diplomatic missions in Pakistan receive threats

Naimat Khan

KARACHI: The diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in Pakistan have received threats, credible sources revealed here on Thursday, informing that the Bangladesh’s High Commission in Islamabad has requested Pakistan to tighten security of its diplomatic and non-diplomatic staff in both Islamabad and Karachi.

The revelations of security threats have emerged when the controversial Bangladesh war crimes tribunal is busy giving strict sentences to leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Khalida Zia’’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for their alleged help of Pakistan armed forces during 1971 war. The judgement of Tribunal is widely being criticized by International human rights organizations.

The controversial war tribunal handed down first death sentence to JI’s leader in December last year whereas the latest in the row is death sentence given by it to BNP’s 70 years old Zahid Hossain on Thursday. Sources said that after the high commission of Bangladesh expressed fears of possible attack and threats, Pakistan beefed up security of both High Commission in Islamabad and deputy High Commission in Karachi.

“High Commission for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Islamabad has written a letter to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, drawing its attention towards security threats to the high commission in Islamabad as well as the deputy high commission in Karachi” sources said.

The high commission requested to the foreign ministry to provide appropriate security to the high commission in Islamabad, deputy high commission in Karachi, the residents as well as diplomatic and members of the non-diplomatic staff, sources added.

The Bangladeshi high commission in Islamabad and deputy high commission Karachi were being closed from 30th October 2014 until 04th November 2014, sources said. After receiving the request Pakistan Foreign affairs ministry wrote as letter to National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Islamabad on 29th October, 2014, requesting to ensure appropriate security to ward off any potential threat to the Bangladesh Mission.

“Appropriate security measures should be kindly taken to ward off any potential threats to the Bangladesh diplomatic missions in Islamabad and Karachi” the letter addressed to NACTA stated. Upon receiving the request NACTA on last Monday instructed Chief Commissioner Islamabad, police chief Islamabad, Home Secretary Sindh and IGP Sindh to provide security to the missions in the respective cities of Islamabad and Karachi, sources said.

The news story was originally published here