Pakistan’s President Zardari hosts Tigers, says ‘need to mend hearts’ over 1971

PARBATTA NEWS DESK

President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan intends to forge strong bilateral relations with Bangladesh in all areas including commerce, trade, sports, culture, and people-to-people ties, Pakistan’s The Nation reported on Sunday.

Speaking at a reception hosted for the Bangladesh and Pakistan men’s cricket teams at the Governor’s House in Punjab on Sunday, he said the Pakistan government is trying to work together to build a stronger relationship, adding that it cannot happen overnight but “we need to keep investing in people and come up with solutions to take our relations to new heights,” according to the report.

The Bangladesh cricket team is in Pakistan to play a three-match T20I series and is due to play the third and last T20I on Sunday night, The Nation mentioned in its report.

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Muhammad Iqbal Hussain, BCB Cricket Operations Head Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Advisor to Chairman PCB Amir Mir, team officials, and members of the Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket teams were present, according to The Nation.

President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistani businessmen wish to collaborate with Bangladeshi businesses, adding that the Pakistani government is also interested in working with the Bangladeshi government in the long run. “We have a bright future as two nations,” the President remarked, the newspaper wrote.

President Zardari eulogized the rich history of Bangladesh and its people, adding that the Bengali nation is one of the oldest and richest nations in the region and has a proud history, according to The Nation.

He also recognized the progress made by Bangladesh over the past 50 years, adding Bangladesh is a success story in the world both financially as well as in human resource capital. “Allah has given you strength financially and in the form of manpower,” he added, the report noted.

President Zardari said Bangladesh was destined to progress and prosper vis-à-vis the export business and Pakistan will contribute as much as it can, as stated in the Pakistan newspaper.

Reminiscing on the shared history and pangs of separation as brothers when the two countries parted ways in 1971, President Zardari said the younger generation was not aware of the pain the older generation had gone through, adding that “we had broken each other’s hearts in the past and there was a need to mend the hearts today,” emphasizing reconciliation and mutual understanding—a message that resonated deeply in his address, The Nation observed.

Recognizing the transformative power of cricket as a sport which helps in uniting people throughout the world, he said, “I am happy to host you all in Pakistan, in Lahore. And I hope that there will be many such trips,” the paper reported.

President Zardari also expressed the desire to visit Bangladesh, adding that he had not been to Dhaka for a long time. He fondly recalled his student days at the Pitaro Cadet College and the lasting friendships he made during those days, adding that he was in close contact with Bangladeshi college friends even today, The Nation highlighted.

President Zardari reassured the Bangladesh envoy to Pakistan of his full support in furthering bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, the report added.

The President hailed the Bangladesh Tigers for their immense talent and wished them a great future, The Nation stated.

He also praised the young Pakistan team and expressed hope it will do well on the international front. “The world is young, you are young and it’s your time. We’ve seen our time, this is your time. All of you are going to see the future and I bless you and I hope that you’ll have an eventful, good future,” President Zardari maintained, as quoted by The Nation.

President Asif Zardari also had group photos with both teams while he gave away mementos to the officials of the visiting Bangladesh team, the newspaper said.