LAHORE: Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto today [April 6] declared that his Government’s foreign policy had paid dividends and had effectively checked further dismemberment of the country. Pakistan’s failure to grasp the realities in the crucial regions of Middle and Far East would have led to a situation where its own integrity would have been put in jeopardy, he added. He was addressing a huge public meeting in the Minar-i-Pakistan grounds. …

He said that as far back as 1962 when then Vice-President of the [US], Mr Lyndon B. Johnson had visited Pakistan, he, as Foreign Minister, had disagreed with the American leader. … He had told Mr. Johnson that the American policy in Vietnam and Far East would not prove to be successful. … Similarly, his decision to support the Arab cause on Palestine and restoration of their territories had also turned out to be correct. … All these facts had ensured the integrity and stability of Pakistan and had “minimised the chances of conspiracies against us”. … He said that he had not made any compromise on principles or Kashmir issue in Simla and had told Indian leaders that the future of Kashmir would be decided by her people alone.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2025