Bangladesh's junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said, "We never welcome anyone interfering in our internal issues." (File photo)
Bangladesh today asked Pakistan to refrain from interfering in its internal affairs, two days after it expressed "deep concern" over the death penalty given to fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief for the war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.
"We are disappointed with Pakistan's reaction. We never welcome anyone interfering in our internal issues," junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said.
"Despite repeated reminders, they are still doing it. They keep saying they are saddened by the verdict. But those being tried are Bangladeshi citizens after all," Mr Alam said.
The reaction came after Pakistan's foreign ministry on May 6 expressed "deep concern" over the dismissal of Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami's final review petition against his death sentence by the Supreme Court.
Mr Nizami, 72, has been convicted of murder, rape and orchestrating the killing of top intellectuals during the 1971 Independence War. He was given capital punishment in October 2014 after being convicted of "superior responsibility" as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr militia forces in 1971.
"I find this a serious issue, as these war criminals are trying to assure their future generation with the notion that Pakistan as a state will be by their sides. Otherwise, why would Pakistan be so saddened by Nizami's death penalty," Mr Alam asked.
He asked Pakistan "to stop misinterpreting" the 1974 tripartite agreement signed by Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
According to the tripartite pact, it was agreed that the 195 Pakistani war criminals who were repatriated to Pakistan would be given immunity, but it was not mentioned anywhere in the agreement that the Bangladesh nationals who were involved in war crimes would not be tried, Mr Alam further said.
He said the trial "hurts Islamabad as these war criminals had carried out their atrocities against humanity on behalf of Pakistan".
Following the verdict, the Pakistani foreign ministry in a statement on Friday said: "We are concerned over Bangladesh Supreme Court verdict that rejected Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami's petition to review his death penalty."
The statement also termed the trial controversial.
That was not the first time Pakistan had remarked on the trial of war criminals. In late 2015, Pakistan sharply reacted to the executions of two warcrime convicts - Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury of BNP and Jamaat's Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
The comments have strained Bangladesh-Pakistan relations.
The two countries had in January detained each other's diplomatic staff for hours.
According to officially estimates about three million people were killed during the nine-month-long war against Pakistan. Jamaat was opposed to the country's independence and sided with the Pakistani troops in 1971.