Pakistan, Bangladesh expel each other’s diplomats

In a move that is set to worsen strained relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh, the two countries have expelled each other’s diplomats. The reason is alarming: alleged links of these diplomats with terrorists.

In a tit-for-tat exercise, Pakistan has retaliated by expelled a Bangladeshi diplomat and asked her to leave the country by January 7.

The move by Pakistan comes days after a Pakistani diplomat was asked to leave Bangladesh over accusations of having links with the banned Jamayetul Mujahideen, a Bangladesh militant group. Pakistan’s foreign office has issued an order for the expulsion of Bangladeshi diplomat Moushumi Rahman, a counsellor and head of chancery in Islamabad.

An unnamed Bangladeshi foreign ministry official in Dhaka said that Pakistan had on January 5 summoned Bangladesh’s high commissioner in Islamabad Sohrab Hossain. “Moushumi Rahman accompanied our high commissioner to Pakistan’s foreign ministry where a senior officer of theirs verbally asked (Hossain) to send Moushumi back to Dhaka by January 7, citing no reason,” the official said.

On January 6, Bangladesh criticised Pakistan’s retaliation. “This appears to be a face-saving move in the part of Pakistan as it was forced to recall a diplomat of theirs…” state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam said. However, it was reported that the Bangladeshi diplomat was expelled for “violation of diplomatic norms”.

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