Dhaka, July 22: An organisation campaigning for elimination of killers and collaborators of Bangladesh's 1971 war of liberation has come out firmly against the visit of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Welcoming an "autocrat" will tantamount to show disrespect to democratic movements both in Bangladesh and Pakistan, leaders of Bangladesh's Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee said in a statement published here today. Musharraf is to arrive here on July 29 on a three day visit. Nirmul leaders Kabir Chowdhury and Shahriar Kabir asked people to boycott Musharraf's engagements in the country. Maanavzamin tabloid reported two days ago that some of Musharraf's buddies in Pakistan Army and presently retired army officers in Bangladesh were planning to give him a reception.

Nirmul, which has long been waging an anti-fundamentalist campaign, alleged that Musharraf was an officer of the Yahya Khan-led Pakistani Army that perpetrated massacre in Bangladesh. A number of Left parties and student bodies have called for cancellation of Musharraf's tour.
Bureau Report