KARACHI: There is no difference between President Mohammad Ayub and the Foreign Minister, Mr. Z.A. Bhutto, in their approach to the resolution of Pakistan’s problems with India. The President said this in an exclusive interview yesterday. It may be recalled that a few days ago the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri, had said in the Indian Parliament that the Pakistan Foreign Minister “was speaking in a different vein” to that of President Ayub who “was showing a constructive attitude”.

The President also described as “wishful thinking” the US Vice-Presidential candidate, Mr. Hubert Humphrey’s proposition that there should be “a coalition of Asian powers with India as its main force to counter-balance Chinese power”.

“India’s neighbours,” said the President, “will not be prepared to trust India unless India gives positive proof of its statesmanship and a spirit of accommodation and gains their confidence.” What will happen, President Ayub said, is that when India, which is being built up by the United States and even Russia, “gets to the stage of preponderant military power, it will try to use it against her neighbours and intimidate them”.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2014