Pakistan has warned Bangladesh of cooling relations if Dhaka presses on with the planned war crimes trial, a senior Pakistani foreign ministry official said. “We hope nothing will be done to create a slow-down in our relations,” Masood Khalid, the additional secretary for Asia Pacific, told visiting Bangladeshi media on Saturday afternoon. Trying war criminals was totally an “internal matter of Bangladesh”, he said, speaking on his country's reaction to Dhaka's latest move to try the crimes against humanity during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. But, Khalid said, the process would cast a shadow between the countries. “We should not remain frozen in time but should look forward.” Touching on the atrocities during 1971, Khalid said he felt it was a sad chapter. The ruling Awami League, which led the independence war, has been demanding an apology for the killing of three million Bangladeshis and rape of 300,000 women by the Pakistan army during the bloody nine-month war. Trade and peace On other issues between the two countries, Khalid said lack of a direct shipping line between the two countries and complications in banking channels were primarily hindering improved trade relations. He stressed mechanisms like Free Trade Agreements and technical cooperation and assistance. On regional security issues, Khalid said that peace was extremely important for Pakistan to go ahead. He said Pakistan's location gave it ties in South Asia, Central Asia and Middle East which offered both challenges and opportunities. “The region is now a hot bed for power play.” Peace and stability in South Asia is strategically important for Pakistan, he added. “We are making effort to move forward based on equity, fairness and justice”, he said.
