HYDERABAD: President Z.A. Bhutto said today [Jan 23] that the Constitutional Accord was final and irrevocable. He said that the validity of this accord could not be affected just because those who had subscribed to it were now giving second thought to their own agreement.

Addressing a big gathering of PPP workers here … the President explained that he had endeavoured to obtain a consensus of all political parties and groups in the National Assembly over the Constitution. He said he did not insist on any particular type of constitution because a constitution, whether presidential or parliamentary, could work only if those in the Government had the will and the wisdom to run it. Therefore … he had willingly agreed to practically all the suggestions that were offered by the … Opposition parties. — Staff Correspondent

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Islamabad,] Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Chairman of the Opposition Co-ordination Committee, said here … the Opposition leaders were trying to sort out their differences over last October’s Constitutional Accord in order to reach a national consensus. A national consensus … was a “must” to preserve the … solidarity of the country.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2023