ASTORE: Pakistan does not want war with India and is prepared to hold talks on Kashmir, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said here today [Sept 25]. He was speaking at a huge public meeting … in this picturesque town. … The Prime Minister, however, said that if India thought she could achieve accession of Jammu and Kashmir state by force, she was under a great misconception.

Pakistan … did not want war because war never solved problems. Pakistan … was prepared for talks because its stand on Kashmir was … based on principles. It, therefore, had nothing to fear from talks, he added. But if India ... resorted to aggression, she would find Pakistan fully prepared to defend itself. — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Beirut,] Israeli warplanes bombed parts of the Arkub Region of south-east Lebanon ... today [Sept 25], informed sources said here. The raid followed a similar attack on the same region yesterday. … In Tel Aviv, official Israeli sources called the raids “preventive strikes”. The Tel Aviv military spokesman said aircraft made a 30-minute … attack on “targets of the terrorists in Fatah-land”.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2024