The Hindu : Red carpet for Musharraf amid protests in Dhaka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 30, 2002

International

International

Red carpet for Musharraf amid protests in Dhaka

By Haroon Habib

The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf (right) with Bangladesh's acting President, Jamiruddin Sircar, and the Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, shortly after arriving in Dhaka on Tuesday. — AFP

DHAKA JULY 29. The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, arrived here to a red carpet welcome even as the country's civil society held determined protests.

The Bangladesh acting President, Zamiruddin Sircar, and the Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, received Gen. Musharraf, his wife and a 60-member delegation at the Dhaka International Airport. A 21-gun salute heralded the Pakistan's President's arrival.

The airport ceremony over, Gen. Musharraf, the fourth Pakistani head of state to visit Bangladesh since its independence, went to the Savar Memorial on the outskirts of Dhaka and placed wreaths in honour of the Bengali freedom fighters who embraced martyrdom in the fight against the "Pakistani occupation army'' in 1971.

Later, he called on the acting President and discussed issues of bilateral interest.

The Pakistani leader will lead his team in official talks on Tuesday with Begum Zia.

He will also pay homage to Zia-ur Rahman, former President and husband of Begum Zia, but will not visit the house of late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the nation's independence from Pakistan, 31 years ago.

Dhaka and Islamabad are expected to sign several agreements to enhance cultural and economic cooperation and regular consultations.

Increased defence cooperation between the two countries could be on the agenda of talks between the two countries, diplomatic circles said.

Commerce Ministry sources said the Pakistani delegation, which included a number of trade leaders, had proposed several measures to boost the bilateral trade. A host of issues, including the once-stalled repatriation of stranded Pakistanis from Bangladesh and the thorny issue of division of pre-Partition assets and liabilities to the tune of $4.5 billion are likely to come up for discussion.

As official Dhaka rolled out the red carpet at the airport, several hundred demonstrators, including freedom fighters, gathered at Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar with black flags. They condemned Gen. Musharraf's visit terming him an "associate" of those Pakistani armymen who perpetrated genocide in Bangladesh and never apologised for the crime against humanity.

Kabir Chowdhury, who led the protest rally, said "we condemn the Khaleda Government for welcoming an associate of Pakistani war criminals who took part in the genocide in 1971. Also we condemn our Government for giving a red carpet reception to a military dictator who has strangulated democracy.''

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