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Hasina calls Musharraf a self-proclaimed CEO

Pradip Kumar Chakraborty in Dhaka

Close on the heels of seeking UN action against coup leaders, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday dubbed Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf as a "self-proclaimed chief executive."

Notwithstanding General Musharraf's displeasure over her speech at the UN, Hasina told a press conference in Dhaka that she has consistently opposed military capturing power in Pakistan as well as in Bangladesh.

She described General Musharraf as a "self-proclaimed chief executive" and wondered why he "took it personally when she called for action against regimes that grabbed power by overthrowing elected governments."

Hasina's speech reportedly led to a sudden cancellation of her scheduled meeting with General Musharraf in New York.

Strongly defending her speech, she dismissed the reported allegation by Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar that it was prepared at the behest of India.

"Why should we do so? Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign country," she told a questioner.

Hasina asked Pakistan to apologise to Bangladesh for the atrocities committed by its army during the 1971 liberation war and rejected General Musharraf's recent suggestion to forget the past.

PTI

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