LONDON: President Ayub Khan said here yesterday that he was not prepared to have any consultations with politicians “who very nearly destroyed the country”.

The President, who arrived here after his seven-day trip to Canada and the United States, was replying to questions by correspondents at the London airport.

When his attention was drawn to the suggestion made in certain Pakistani political quarters that he should convene a conference of prominent political leaders for consultation on the country’s problems, he said: “What leaders? You mean those who very nearly destroyed the country? Do you want to bring them back again?” He said there were some “who had a good past record and I wish them well”.

When a reporter said that perhaps the idea of consultations was to have more democratic rule, the President retorted: “Democratic in a fashion so that they can go and rob the people.”—Agencies