There was no issue of the newspaper on Oct 17, 1971 on account of a holiday on the death anniversary of Quaid-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan. The following excerpt has been taken from the previous day’s issue.

TIMARGARA: Mr. Z.A. Bhutto … said here today [Oct 15] that the PPP stood for a peaceful transfer of power, but the fact that it was in majority should be recognised. Addressing a public meeting here, Mr. Bhutto said that the masses had entrusted their leadership to the PPP during the last general elections and therefore, no “intrigue” to deprive it of power could succeed.

Mr. Bhutto warned if the National Assembly did not meet on Dec. 27, he would hold a “people’s assembly” in Bajaur and Dir. If the stooges were installed in the Government, the masses would not allow them to remain there for more than 40 days, Mr. Bhutto claimed. … If the masses were cheated, they were prepared to make sacrifices for securing their rights, as they did during the Pakistan Movement and independence struggle of Occupied Kashmir. He said the country was in “total crisis” and it was imperative that power should be handed over to the people, so that they could tackle the … socio-economic problems confronting the country.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2021