UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has asked the UN Security Council to disregard Bangladesh’s application for UN membership, until Dacca freed all Pakistani prisoners of war and other detainees, and also ensured the rights of the ethnic and linguistic minorities, it was announced today [Aug 21]. … Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi spokesman reiterated in London today [Aug 21] that the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, would not be willing to meet President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto without Pakistan’s formal recognition of Bangladesh.

[Media] quoted informed sources as saying that efforts were being made to bring about a meeting of the two leaders in September through common friends. — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies in Lahore,] The Central Minister for Political Af­­fairs and Communications, Mr Ghulam Mus­tafa Jatoi, said … that for the present there was no question of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Islam joining the Central Government. … He said “broad principles” for co-operation between the Cen­tral and Provincial Governments in Baluchistan and NWFP had been agreed to between the leaders of the People’s Party, NAP and JUI… .

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2022