PESHAWAR: President Z.A. Bhutto today [Nov 18] debunked Indian charges that Pakistan was delaying the delineation of the line of control in Kashmir under foreign pressure as well as of his Army Generals, and declared that Pakistan had taken her stance on the basis of principles, and she will stand by them. The President told a mam­moth public meeting at Mardan that Pakis­tan was a sovereign country, and could not be pre­s­surised by others, and said that Indian attempts to pull a fast one on him would never succeed.

Pakistan will take the correct decision based on its principles, and would never retreat from even an inch or a hundred miles of territory, he said. The President also referred to the Chinese veto in the Security Council... . Mr Bhutto said that China had used the veto “at our call. We had asked them to do so, as the Soviet Union had done for India”. He added: “But the Chinese veto was for upholding the cause of justice and righteousness.” China and Pakistan had such relations that they never interfered in each other’s internal affairs, Mr Bhutto said, and the allegations in the Indian Press that China was forcing Pakistan to refrain from a settlement on the line of control was baseless.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2022