RAWALPINDI: “I am satisfied, more than satisfied at the present state of national unity,” said the Prime Minister, Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in an interview with Radio Pakistan today [Dec 19] to mark the third anniversary of the people’s Government. The Prime Minister identified Islam as “the fundamental cementing factor” for this unity and commented, “I am proud of this”. Nationalism, economic justice and an egalitarian society, he felt, were further motivating forces. There is now a greater sense of geographical nationalism, economic egalitarianism and socialism and of democratic principles. …

The Prime Minister was then asked why in recent interviews … the question of the lifting of the American arms embargo to Pakistan … got linked with Indian nuclear threat. The link, said the [PM], is that both nuclear weapons and conventional weapons are weapons of war. … …[I]f we can get conventional weapons to build a deterrent we would prefer it. But if we cannot get all the equipment and weapons which are … conventional deterrents … we forget spending money on conventional armaments and take the big jump forward and concentrate all our energies on acquiring nuclear capabilities. — News agencies

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024