BHUTTO TO OFFER COMPROMISE FORMULA
Lahore, West Pakistan, March, 13 (Rtr).
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, leader of the left-wing People’s Party, will offer a new compromise fromula to tide over Pakistan’s constitutional deadlock, at a public meeting in Karachi Sunday, Maulana Kausar Niazi, the party’s informations secretary, said here.
Authorised personally by Bhutto to make the statement, he said : “We believe the Awami League will ultimately accept our formula”.
The Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. has taken over effective control of East Pakistan from West Pakistan- separated from (1600 km) Indian territory after gaining all the 160 seats allotted to the territory in the 313- member National Assembly in last December’s general eletions. Bhutto’s party won 89 of the 144 West Pakistan seats.
Bhutto, arriving here for a brief visit on Friday night, expressing support for Sheikh Mujib’s demand but warned against any tendency to bring about a confrontation between the people of the two wings of the country.
He said that President Yahya Khan must accede to Sheikh Mujib’s demand for judicial enquiry into the alleged shooting of civilians by soldiers in East Pakistan.
A second demand by Sheikh Mujib for recall of troops to their barracks in East Pakistan should also be accepted.
His party had no hesitation in saying it accepted these in principle because as a democratically-elected organisation it should not accept martial law long, Bhutto said.
Reports from Dacca said telegram sent by Bhutto to Sheikh Mujib on Wednesday had been ignored by Awami League leaders.
In his message, Bhutto told Sheikh Mujib he was prepared to visit Dacca immediately to devise a “common solution” to end the crisis facing the country.
Niazi said his party still held the view that Pakistan could be salvaged from the present deadlock only through an understanding reached between the Awami League and the People’s Party.
Bhutto, usually communicative to reporters, avoided them at the airport here at the end of his 19 hour visit, but said, he briefed Maulana Niazi who would speak to them.
Unconfirmed reports in Karachi said president Yahya Khan might offer to legalise Sheikh Mujib’s de facto rule in the East. Such a rule would help to revive the nation’s sagging economy but sceptics said that First there would be enormous legal obstacles to overcome.
Reference : Indonesian Observer, 15.03.1971