Pak Ambassador to Philippines defects
From A Special Correspondent, MANILA, SEPT. 13- The Pakistani Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Khurrm Khan Panni has reigned and defected to the Bangladesh movement, sources close to the Ambassador said today.
Mr. Panni 49, is the first diplomat of ambassadorial rank to defect to the Bangladesh cause. He will remain in exile in the Philippines holding a private Pakistani passport.
The sources said his decision to resign was obviously provoked by the Pakistani Government’s policies in East Bengal. He came to Manila as Ambassador in March last year-and his tour of duty is not scheduled to end until late next month.
Ambassador Panni was not available for comment tonight, but a spokesman at his home told newsmen that he would meet the Press at noon tomorrow to give “the reasons for his resignation.”
Until Mr. Panni’s resignation the highest ranking Pakistani diplomat to go over to Bangladesh was Mr. Mahasin Ali, head of the Pakistani mission in Hong Kong.
About 40 members of Pakistan’s diplomatic service have now resigned to make common cause with the Bangladesh movement.
With Mr. Panni’s resignation, the only Ambassador of Bengali origin left in Pakistan’s diplomatic service is Ambassador Kaiser in Peking. He is believed to have fallen from official favour for refusing to work for Peking’s endorsement of President Yahya Khan’s action in East Pakistan.
He has been virtually stripped of his powers and refused permission to visit even Hongkong
Speculation over Mr. Panni’s future began when he obviously intentionally refrained from mentioning the Government of Pakistan at a ceremony last week when he received an award from President Ferdinanand Marcos.
Diplomatic sources here noted that Mr. Panni in his response to President Marcos, repeatedly stressed the words “my people” without a single reference to his Government or even of Pakistan. The sources revealed that at least four countries were willing to grant political asylum or permanent residence status to Mr. Panni.
The Ambassador, however, has decided to remain in the Philippines with his wife and daughter who hold British passports. He has two sons who are still in Pakistan and another son who is finishing his studies in the USA.
Mr. Panni is likely to open an unofficial mission here and work for recognition of Bangladesh. Before coming to Manila, Mr. Panni had been Ambassador to Argentina and High Commissioner to Kenya. He was also one time his country’s alternate head of delegation to the UN in New York.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 14.09.1971