LAHORE: Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani, leader of the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan Parliamentary Party in the National Assembly, has stressed the need for holding fresh general elections after the promulgation of a permanent constitution. Addressing a public meeting ... today [Nov 26], he said that the majority of the people of Pakistan were against the recognition of Bangladesh and if new elections were held they would vote for those who wanted reunification of the two Wings... . After such leadership comes to power, a movement would automatically emerge for ... reunification ... he added.

Maulana Noorani said it was being said that Bangladesh had become a reality and we should accept this reality, but before accepting this reality the people of Pakistan must be told of other facts which had separated East Pakistan from West Pakistan. — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Islamabad,], separation of women and children from the heads of their families is contrary to ... humanitarian principles, official sources said... . Commenting on the Indian Government expression of regret that the Pakistan Government had not agreed to permit all Bengali women and children to leave Pakistan, these sources observed that genuine humanitarianism requires that not only women and children but men also should be released and repatriated... .

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2022