LAHORE: Lahore emerged on the world inland port map today [April 18] with the inauguration of the first dry port here by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The project is designed to encourage the small producers and manufacturers to participate in the import and export trade to increase its volume. … In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Bhutto said it was a … project which would prove to be of immense benefit to the people of this area. … Prime Minister Bhutto said the project will be particularly helpful to the smaller trader who was considerably handicapped because of the formalities involved in the import and export business in view of the distance of the port town from these areas.

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Islamabad,] repatriation of the remaining Pakistani prisoners of war and civilian internees from India has been scheduled from April 21 … a Foreign Office spokesman said… . The spokesman pointed out that already 83,586 prisoners of war had reached Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2024