DHAKA: The Pakistan High Commission here on Sunday removed the controversial cover photo from its Facebook page that allegedly used a "distorted" image of Bangladesh's national flag, following Dhaka's strong objection.
The High Commission had recently uploaded a collage of Pakistan's and Bangladesh's national flags as the cover photo of its official Facebook page. The collage picture displayed a flag which adds a moon and crescent to the original Red and Green flag of Bangladesh.
Addressing a press conference, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said objections were raised to the picture of the flags of Bangladesh and Pakistan together on the Facebook page of the Pakistan High Commission and it was asked to remove the image.
"However, I believe that there is no bad motive behind it," he said.
"The Pakistan High Commission removed the distorted image of the Bangladesh flag from its Facebook page at around midday today (Sunday) as we asked them to do so," a Bangladesh foreign ministry spokesman said.
Several groups like Liberation War fighter's organisation 'Bangladesh Muktijuddho Mancha' and the 'Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee' had also protested against the Pakistan High Commission for uploading the distorted image, calling it a humiliation of the Bangladesh flag.
Bangladesh, which was known as East Pakistan, got its independence from Pakistan with crucial Indian support after the nine-month-long Liberation War in 1971.
Three million people were killed and thousands of women raped by the Pakistan Army and religious militias in the 1971 Liberation War.
Relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan saw their lowest ebb in 2010 when Dhaka initiated the trial of Bangladeshi collaborators of the Pakistani military during the Liberation War and several top leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami party were executed following the legal procedures.
Jamaat was opposed to Bangladesh's Independence.
The Liberation War of Bangladesh broke out after the sudden crackdown at midnight on March 25, 1971, in erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by the Pakistani troops and ended on December 16.
The same year Pakistan conceded defeat and unconditionally surrendered in Dhaka to the allied forces comprising the freedom fighters and Indian soldiers.
On March 26, 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed Bangladesh's independence.