Musharraf denies rape remarks

A gathering of Pakistani-American women, organised to promote the Pervez Musharraf government8217;s pro-women policies, degenerated into ...

A gathering of Pakistani-American women, organised to promote the Pervez Musharraf government8217;s pro-women policies, degenerated into 8216;8216;a bout8217;8217; between the Pakistani President and part of the invited audience, reported the Pakistani media.

The President also denied telling the Washington Post on Saturday that many Pakistanis felt crying rape was an easy way to make money and get a Canadian visa, saying the remark was made by someone else. The comments, published on Tuesday during Musharraf8217;s ongoing visit to the United States, sparked outrage in Pakistan and elsewhere.

8216;8216;Let me say with total sincerity that I never said that and it has been misquoted,8217;8217; Musharraf said. 8216;8216;These are not my words and I would go to the extent of saying I am not so silly and stupid to make comments of this sort.8217;8217;

No one at the Washington Post was immediately available to comment on Musharraf8217;s denial. Moreover, angry over women8217;s groups protest over his reported remarks, Musharraf hit back at them, saying that those who opposed him were enemies of the country. 8216;8216;You are against me and Pakistan,8217;8217; he told a human rights activist during the meeting.

Pakistani media reported today that pandemonium broke out at the meeting, organised to promote Pakistan8217;s soft image.

8216;8216;I am a fighter, I will fight you. I do not give up and if you can shout, I can shout louder,8217;8217; local daily Dawn quoted him as saying.

8216;8216;I wish you had quoted Muslim scholars as opposed to British scholars,8217;8217; he told a woman who had quoted some American scholars to make her point.

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Responding to the woman8217;s charge that he had retracted his interview to the Washington Post, Musharraf said: 8216;8216;Lady, you are used to people who tell lies. I am not one of them8217;8217;.

As the human rights and women groups protested outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York against the treatment of rape victims in Pakistan, Musharraf said that such protests should be held in and not outside Pakistan.

When a woman raised her voice to ask a question, he shot back: 8216;8216;Are you a Benazir Bhutto supporter8230; A lady was Prime minister of Pakistan twice, ask her what she has done for Pakistan?8217;8217;