LAHORE: The National Awami Party chief, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, reiterated his party’s stand that all the banks, factories, lands and mineral wealth in the country would be nationalised in the name of Allah to be divided among the people on the basis of justice and equality. He said the entire national wealth which belonged to God alone, was being exploited by a few capitalists and feudal lords, but the time had come when all the resources were harnessed for the welfare of the people.

He was addressing a sizable crowd which had gathered at the airport to accord him a rousing reception on arrival from Dacca for a week’s visit to West Pakistan.

Maulana Bhashani cautioned the “bureaucrats and capitalists” to see the writing on the wall and give a fair deal to the people failing which “we will enforce Islamic socialism and make them eat humble pie”.

The Maulana lashed out at the United States, which, he said, was playing the role of an imperialist Power. It was the United States which had conspired with India during the September War to make Pakistan subservient to India and ultimately to make it part of the latter.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2020