RAWALPINDI: Most of the issues, including the thorny question of provincial autonomy and distribution of powers between the Centre and the provinces, are believed to have been resolved to the satisfaction of the leaders representing various political parties in the National Assembly, who are participating in the current talks convened by President Z.A. Bhutto in order to evol­­ve a consensus in regard to the permanent constitution... . … A consensus is also believed to have been be reached that the Upper House in a Fed­e­ral Parliamentary system will have in all 60 members — 14 from each of the four provinces and two each from the tribal areas and the federal area of Islamabad. The preamble, believed to have been agreed, will provide that Pakistan will be an Islamic Republic. — Special representative

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies in Peshawar,] Police resorted to repeated lathi-charge on riotous students after they had ransacked and looted four first class hotels in the Cantt area ... in continuation of their protest demonstrations against killing of Shamsur Rehman, a Second Year student of Jehanzeb College, in Saidu Sharif on Sunday last [Oct 15]. Several students sustained injuries, as a result of the police action... .

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2022