RAWALPINDI: The question of Mr Z.A. Bhutto’s national status till he became a Minister in 1958 caused a stir in the National Assembly during the Question Hour today [June 30]. The issue was raised through a Short Notice Question by Mr Habibur Rahman Bhandari, a Member of the Treasury Benches.

Replying to a volley of supplementary questions from the Opposition Members, some of whom repeatedly shouted that the intention behind raising the issue at this stage was mala fide, the Information Minister, Khwaja Shahabuddin, said that from the relevant documents, it appeared that “till 1958, Mr Bhutto was claiming in Pakistan citizenship of Pakistan and in India he was claiming citizenship of India”.

Mr Bhandari had asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs “whether he was aware of a statement made by an Indian Minister about the Indian nationality of Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former Foreign Minister of the Government of Pakistan”. He also asked the Parliamentary Secretary to inform the House of the contents of the said statement.

The Parliamentary secretary, Mr Abdul Awwal Bhuiya, replied in the affirmative. He told the House in a written statement that “in reply to a Call Attention Motion moved in the Rajya Sabha on November 19, 1965, the then Indian Minister for Rehabilitation, Mr Tyagi, stated in connection with an application for the restitution of the property taken over by the Custodian of Evacuee Property, Mr Z.A. Bhutto claimed that he was and had always been an Indian citizen. Mr Tyagi also said that it was only in 1958, after he became the Commerce Minister of Pakistan, that Mr Bhutto finally decided to settle down in Pakistan and filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India withdrawing his appeal against the Custodian’s decision.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2017