Pakistan has asked Bangladesh to withdraw its diplomat, Moushumi Rahman, from the country within 48 hours. Ms. Rahman is the counsellor (political) and head of Chancery at the Bangladesh mission in Islamabad. Pakistan Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Suhrab Hossain and conveyed the decision. Islamabad, however, did not cite any reason.
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said Pakistan’s action was not a healthy sign for bilateral relations. Pakistan’s move came after the withdrawal of its diplomat Farina Arshad from Dhaka on December 23 last year after she was accused of terror financing. According to the recent confessional statements of several nabbed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) men, Ms. Farina, the second secretary (political) at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, did financial transactions with some militant groups, including JMB, Bangladeshi authorities claimed.
Pakistan in January last year recalled one of its diplomatic officials, Mazhar Khan, for his alleged links with terror financing and currency forgery racket.
