PARIS: President Ayub Khan has disclosed that he would discuss with President de Gaulle the question of increased French economic assistance on soft terms.

In a recorded interview televised all over France on Monday [Oct 16] night, President Ayub said he would stress the need for easier terms of credit with a longer period of repayment.

Dwelling on Pakistan’s foreign policy, President Ayub said that Pakistan wants normal and friendly relations with her neighbours such as Soviet Union and China. Similarly, she desires good relations with United States and other countries on a bilateral basis. President Ayub observed: “We do not want to have relations with one country at the expense of the other.”

When asked about the minorities in Pakistan, he said they enjoy equal rights with the majority community under the Constitution. Every effort is being made by the Government to keep them happy and contented. As against this, India has not been treating well her Muslim minority — as is evident from the frequent anti-Muslim riots in that country. She keeps on evicting a large number of Muslims into East Pakistan, which created tension and a number of other problems.

President Ayub also talked about Pakistan’s development efforts. He said special emphasis is being laid on increased food production by introducing mechanised cultivation and popularising high-yielding seeds and fertilisers.

He said he hoped the food gap in the country will be filled by the end of the current Plan period.

Special attention, he added, is being paid to the industries associated with agriculture and those based on indigenous raw material. — Agency

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent in Lahore,] the West Pakistan Governor, Mr Mohammad Musa, said he was confident that the province would not only become self-sufficient in food within the next two or three years but would also be able to export surplus foodgrains.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017