DHAKA, SEPTEMBER 12: Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina today asked Pakistan to apologise to her country for the atrocities committed by its army during the 1971 liberation war, asserting that she would continue to oppose military coups, ignoring the reported displeasure of General Pervez Musharraf.Rebuffing Gen Musharraf's recent suggestion for forgetting the past, Hasina told a Press conference here that Bangladesh would rather learn from history.In an unusually strong attack on Pakistan, which took up most of the Press conference, she said ``I feel that Pakistan should apologise for the crimes committed in 1971,'' and demanded that Islamabad give Dhaka a copy of the report of Hamood-ur Rahman Commission which probed the Pakistan army's debacle in the 1971 war with India, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.Accusing Pakistan of dilly-dallying in handing over the full text of the report to Bangladesh, the prime minister said ``it (Pakistan) fears exposure of the heinous crimes committed by its armed forces.''She rejected Islamabad's stand that Dhaka had not yet formally requested for the Commission report, saying ``we have already asked for it''. Hasina also demanded that the report - which has accused senior Pakistan army generals of mass killings and rapes in the pre-liberation period - be made public.Demands have also been made by political leaders and army officials in Pakistan for action against the officers indicted for the 1971 genocide.Hasina strongly defended her speech at the recent UN millennium summit and dismissed the reported allegation by Pakistan 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.The speech called for action against regimes that grabbed power by overthrowing elected governments. This reportedly led to a sudden cancellation of the scheduled meeting between Hasina and Gen Musharraf in New York raising questions about bilateral ties.Asked about Gen Musharraf's reported dissatisfaction over her speech at UN, Hasina said ``this is nothing new. I have consistently opposed military generals capturing power in Pakistan as well as Bangladesh in the past.''Describing Gen Musharraf as a ``self-proclaimed chief executive'', the Bangladesh premier wondered why he ``took it personally when she called for action against regimes that grabbed power by overthrowing elected governments.'' Using a Bengali proverb, she added ``a guilty mind is always suspicious''.She, however, said there was no option but to talk to whosoever holds office in Pakistan for maintaining relations between the two countries. Bangladesh, she said, would continue its peace efforts in the region despite her aborted meeting with the General.
