KARACHI: The Prime Minister, Mr Z.A. Bhutto, said yesterday [Aug 30] that supreme national interests had obliged his Government to further extend the emergency but assured that it will not be allowed to continue “one moment more than is necessary”. Speaking at the annual dinner of the High Court Bar Association, he further said he was as keen to see the end of the emergency as they were but stressed that he was “duty-bound by oath of office to do everything possible to safeguard Pakistan’s territorial integrity and solidarity”. He was confident that the nation will understand that the only objective in continuing the emergency was to “consolidate the vitals of the State”.

[Meanwhile,] Mr Zahoorul Haq, President of the High Court Bar Association, Karachi … welcomed the restoration of Fundamental Rights. Delivering the welcome address … he said the restoration … had given the courts the power to declare a law invalid if it offended against Fundamental Rights. Mr Haq also recalled the circumstances in which the present Government came to power and the difficult problems it inherited. He congratulated [Mr Bhutto] on dealing with these problems with courage and fortitude.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024