DHAKA:  Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of  Bangladesh. Khan has written to his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, congratulating her on the 50th anniversary of the country's Independence and Mujib Borsho, celebrating the centenary year of Bangabandhu.

Bangladesh achieved Independence with the support of the Indian Army and the citizens of the country on March 26, 1971, a day after the Pakistan military began Operation Searchlight, killing 30 lakh innocent people, unarmed civilians, as well as teachers and students of Dhaka University besides raping 3 lakh women.

Pakistan PM, however, did not mention anything regarding the genocide, rape, atrocities and all the crimes against humanity by the auxiliary forces of Pakistan Army, Jamayat-e-Islam in 1971. The letter was sent to the media by the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday evening.

Bangladesh has been demanding an official apology from Pakistan over the genocide during the Liberation War that was a culmination of decades of economic and political deprivation, following Partition of India and Pakistan. Khan sought Bangladesh's support to fortify the existing bonds between the two countries and build new ones for the succeeding generations.

Hasina asked Islamabad to resolve outstanding issues, which include receiving an official apology from Pakistan for the genocide in 1971, repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh, and the division of assets.

Khan wrote: "On this occasion, let us renew our resolve to jointly work for a better future for our peoples and even closer ties between our two countries.

"We would like to fortify our existing bonds with brotherly Bangladesh and build new ones for our succeeding generations, as we believe the destinies of our two peoples are intertwined," the Pakistan PM said in the letter, who had tested Covid positive last week.

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