Police walk past a rally organised by secular activists as they protest against a strike in Dhaka yesterday. The Jamaat-e-Islami has called a day-long strike to protest against its leader’s execution for war crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.


Reuters/IANS/Dhaka

Bangladesh protested to Pakistan yesterday over what it said was interference in its internal affairs in comments about the hanging of two opposition leaders convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 war to break away from Pakistan.
Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury were hanged on Sunday shortly after President Abdul Hamid rejected their
appeals for clemency.
Pakistan’s ministry for foreign affairs noted its “deep concern and anguish” at the “unfortunate” executions and condemned what it called “flawed trials”.
“As emphasised earlier, we have also been noting the reaction of the international community on the flawed trials in Bangladesh related to the events of 1971,” it added.
In a diplomatic rebuke, the Pakistani High Commissioner to Bangladesh was called in yesterday and Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary, Mizanur Rahman, handed over a note of protest.
It said that by openly taking the side of those convicted, Pakistan had once again acknowledged its direct involvement and complicity in the mass crimes committed during the separation.
It said the comments were nothing less than brazen interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, which was unacceptable.
Bangladesh says the verdicts were handed down via an independent, sound, fair, impartial and transparent judicial process, and without any political interference.
“Pakistan should no way make biased, borrowed and unfounded comments about the independent judiciary of a sovereign country,” the note stated.
Pakistan in 2013 had opposed the execution of another war crimes convict, Abdul Quader Molla.
Its parliament had also adopted a resolution, saying Molla was hanged to death because “he was loyal to Pakistan and supported the Pakistan army during the 1971 war”.
This triggered a public furore, prompting Bangladesh’s foreign ministry to summon then Pakistan high commissioner and strongly protest Islamabad’s reaction.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened an inquiry into crimes committed during the war in 2010, paving the way for prosecutions by a war crimes tribunal that Islamists have denounced as part of a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening Jamaat-e-Islami’s leadership.
Bangladesh and Pakistan were one territory for 23 years from the region’s independence from Britain in 1947.
In 1971 Pakistan moved to suppress an independence uprising in Bangladesh, leaving up to 3mn dead and an estimated hundreds of thousands of
women raped. Tensions between the two countries remain high over the conflict.
Bangladesh was on high alert yesterday against any violence in response to Sunday’s hangings, with thousands of security personnel patrolling its cities.
Jamaat-e-Islami called for a nationwide strike to protest the executions.
Few were expected to heed the call to strike. The Islamist party has only about 3% of the country’s vote. While traffic was lighter yesterday, government offices and services remained open.
Authorities said they were increasing vigilance after a series of killings claimed by Islamist extremists this year, including the murders of four secular bloggers, a publisher and two foreigners.