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No trials for 1971 debacle, says Musharraf

Pakistan Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf said in New York on Sunday that the 1971 tragedy was not only a military but a political debacle as well, the Dawn newspaper reported quoting the Associated Press of Pakistan.

He made these remarks in response to a question about Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission report at a press conference.

"Let's forget the bitterness of the past and move forward," he said. In answer to a question whether there would be trials as recommended by the report, Gen Musharraf replied tersely, "No, certainly not. Something happened 30 years ago. Why do we want to live in history? As a Pakistani, I would like to forget 1971."

He added, "What happened then is nothing that any of us can be proud of. It was a debacle, not only a military but a political debacle. But why do we want to dig the past up?"

The chief executive said: "As for the Hamood report, there was a vested interest involved there. The mandate given to the commission by the man who appointed it was to look into the military debacle in East Pakistan. Why did it not look into the political debacle?"

"It is known who was responsible for it, the very man who ordered the inquiry. I think this issue needs to be closed. It is dead. Let's forget the bitterness of the past and move forward."

Gen Musharraf also laid to rest rumours that the national assembly would be revived. "That is not going to happen," he stated emphatically. He made light of the suggestion that after the retirement of the present president and the restoration of the 8th amendment, he would step into his shoes. "I have not decided anything about that yet. I haven't even thought of it," he said.

Asked about Osama bin Laden, he said while he understood that he was an "important American concern", he was not a Pakistani problem. He said he had advised the Americans to engage with the Taliban. He had also said that Pakistan would do what it could to "facilitate" things but we had nothing to do with Osama. "I cannot solve that problem," he stated, adding that Pakistan would like peace to return to Afghanistan and a commonly acceptable government established.

One journalist told the chief executive that he was disappointed to hear him say on Saturday that there should be "healthy criticism" by the press. "We have heard this many times before and it always ends up in a crackdown," the newsman said. The chief executive replied, "I must express my disappointment with some of what I see in the press. I say it from my heart. There is money at work in some cases. Tell me truthfully, if it is true or not. Aren't some reports published for financial reward, reports which the journalist know is counter to facts. I say to myself, either such journalists are fools or they are working for vested interests. People write deliberately wrong stories either for money or for political reasons or for some other reason. I say if I do something wrong, criticise me. I can take it. Write the truth and don't apologise for it if it is not liked."

Continuing, he said, "The national interest should be supreme. I look at Indian newspapers and they seem to always bear the national interest in mind. They even distort the truth if they feel that it serves the national interest. He said while a distorted story published in our press was put on page one, its contradiction was buried somewhere on page four. I have no desire to stifle the press although some of what had been printed in Pakistan would have justified stifling it 10 times over. I believe that in time good sense will prevail. That is my hope."

General Musharraf is due to fly back to Pakistan on September 13.

EXTERNAL LINK
The Dawn newspaper

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