KARACHI: President Z.A. Bhutto expressed ignorance about the “London Plan” here last night [Sept 15] and said it had been unnecessarily overplayed by our Press, radio and the TV. He made these remarks at the annual dinner of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry attended by some 2,000 businessmen and industrialists and foreign commercial attaches.

“I don’t know if there is a London Plan, and there is no need to be over-excited or over-react to it,” he said, adding that the Opposition leaders had gone to London on private trips. … He said he did not know if the leaders, converged in London from different parts of Pakistan, were really having some plans or not. But if the Government came to know of any scheme to disintegrate the remaining parts of Pakistan, it would take action after getting necessary proof. … — Bureau report

[Meanwhile, as reported by the agencies in Karachi] The Karachi Port was paralysed yesterday [Sept 15] when 12,500 and odd port workers went on an indefinite strike in protest against non-approval by the Central Finance Ministry of the agreement reached between the administration and the Organisation of KPT workers. … [T]he union said it had received no ‘written communication’ from the KPT administration that the Finance Ministry had approved the agreement. …

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2022