LAHORE: Shaikh Sadiq Hasan, acting President, West Punjab Muslim League, in a statement to the Press here on Saturday [April 16] says: “The problem of abducted Muslim women in the Indian Dominion has not yet been taken up with all the seriousness that it demands. ... I would … urge upon the Pakistan Government to establish a full-fledged department whole-heartedly devoted to this work.

“The other subject … is the question of the representation of six million refugees in the Constituent Assembly. Important decisions concerning their fate are taken even without consulting the Muhajirs. I would, therefore, urge upon the Pakistan Government ... to give representation to Muhajirs in the Constituent Assembly.” — News agencies

[Meanwhile, according to news agencies from Nanking,] Chinese Communist radio announced tonight [April 17] that April 20 had been fixed as the deadline for the Chinese Government’s acceptance of the peace programme brought to the Government capital... . Communist demands that their armies should cross the Yangtse River present the only serious obstacle to the conclusion of a peace agreement … Nanking sources said today.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2024