RAWALPINDI: Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto … said here … that … Pakistan should exercise restraint towards the Big Powers. “The situation is such that we should concentrate on our problems and … not exacerbate the situation by being critical of any of the great powers whether it be the Soviet Union, the United States or China,” he told waiting newsmen at his hotel after a meeting with President Yahya Khan. He said he knew that “sometimes we might be tempted to speak harshly about some of the activities of the world outside”. But he thought that the situation was such that “we should exercise restraint in our comments on actions of the great powers on the crisis of the sub-continent”.

Mr Bhutto said unlike India, Pakistan should not give threats to great powers. “We will defend our position and territorial integrity. We will disagree with Great Powers but we do not want to drag them in the debate when the clouds of war are hanging over our heads.” … The PPP Chairman said that during his meeting with the President … he had taken up “as effectively and forcefully as I can” the general situation in East Pakistan on which, he added “we feel very strongly.” … Mr Bhutto said he believed that the President would make every effort to see that “this sort of random persecution” was stopped. — News agencies

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2021