Musharraf accuses Bangla PM of interference

Sheikh Hasina on Thursday called for the trial of those Pakistanis allegedly involved in war crimes against Bangladesh in the 1971 independence war. Ties between the two countries have been strained after Musharraf postponed his scheduled meeting with the Bangladeshi leader following a speech she gave to the UN which criticised military regimes. "There was no point in meeting her in such an atmosphere," Musharraf said. "I was polite, she was hostile, when we were sitting on one table during a function at the UN," he said.

Bangladesh, former East Pakistan, won independence after a nine-month war in 1971 that Bangladesh says claimed three million Bengali lives. "We want better and good relations with Bangladesh but no talks are possible in this environment," he said, adding "we must bury the past and look forward."

Sheikh Hasina, whose father was killed in a military coup in 1975, has said that her speech at the UN was "a matter of principle." "I have spoken about my ideals and people are the source of all power, not weapons," she said, adding she did not mention Pakistan by name.

Musharraf described his visit to the UN summit, his first major diplomatic foray since seizing power in October last year, as highly successful. The military ruler is under pressure from the west to hold national elections to promote an early return to civilian rule.

In May the country’s supreme court validated the military takeover and gave Musharraf until October 12, 2002 to complete his reform agenda and hold elections, a timeframe he has promised to honour.

"I have been able to convince the UN Secretary General (Kofi Annan) to visit Pakistan and play his role in resolving the 53-year old dispute of Kashmir with India," he said. He did not indicate when the visit could take place. Pakistan and India have fought three wars since their independence from the British in 1947, two of them over Kashmir, a Himalayan state divided between the two countries and claimed by both.

Musharraf said he met with some 15 heads of state and governments during his stay in New York and discussed the Kashmir issue. "They want early solution of the problem and we are ready for a dialogue with India," he said. "I am not concerned about the current visit of Indian Prime minister (Atal Behari Vajpayee) to the United States. They have their own interest and we have our own," he said.

Musharraf expressed satisfaction at Pakistan’s relations with the US. Washington has consistently called for a resumption of political dialogue between Pakistan and India, which both carried out tit-for tat nuclear weapons tests in 1998.

The Pakistani ruler said he was hopeful Pakistan would get Financial support from the International Monetary Fund. An IMF mission is currently in Islamabad to review the government’s economic reforms aimed at reducing budgetary deficit before the fund’s board takes a decision on a bailout loan package for the country.