Musharraf wraps up Bangladesh visit

The president was given a red-carpet welcome

The Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, has left Bangladesh after three days of meetings with Bangladeshi officials which both sides described as highly successful.

We feel sorry for the tragedy which left deep scars on both our nations. But wounds do heal with time

Pervez Musharraf

The president now travels to Sri Lanka via China.

The president's visit to Bangladesh will be remembered for his expression of regret over excesses carried out by Pakistan during the Bangladesh war of independence.

The BBC's Dhaka correspondent says there is little doubt that relations between Dhaka and Islamabad are warmer now than at any time since the war of independence.

'Successful' trip

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, described President Musharraf's visit as very successful.

The president said shortly before his departure that he was convinced that bilateral relations between two of the largest Muslim countries in the world would from now onwards be extremely bright.

He said that he had received nothing but warmth and hospitality while in Bangladesh.

The president won over his hosts from the outset by expressing his regret over Pakistani excesses during the liberation war.

It is the closest Islamabad has come to apologising for what Dhaka says were atrocities carried out by Pakistani troops.

Trade agreements

The two countries signed a series of trade agreements and a cultural exchange programme.

Their respective foreign ministries agreed to hold meetings on a regular basis.

But there were areas in which the two sides were not able to reach agreement.

The president said while he had every sympathy for the plight of thousands of people in Bangladesh known as 'stranded Pakistanis', he could not allow them to emigrate to Pakistan.

The president said he would do everything possible to resolve the issue, but at the moment, Pakistan is still struggling to accommodate thousands of Afghan refugees.