Posted on 07/29/2002 8:07:31 PM PDT by Black Powder
Musharraf comes close to apology
DHAKA - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has expressed regret for what he calls excesses committed in the Bangladesh war of independence.
In a message written in the visitors' book at the mausoleum to honour Bangladesh's war dead, the president also wrote that Pakistanis shared the pain of the war.
His remarks, at the start of an official visit to Bangladesh, are the closest Pakistan has ever come to formally apologizing for alleged war crimes in 1971.
The authorities in Dhaka welcomed Musharraf's written comments, although some opposition politicians are demanding a full apology.
The Bangladeshi government says at least three million Bengalis were killed when the Pakistani army attempted to suppress nationalist agitation in 1971.
Bangladesh has frequently demanded that Pakistani soldiers stand trial for crimes against humanity.
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