GUJRAT: A call was today [Jan 29] given to the people of Pakistan and the Kashmiris everywhere in the world, by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to observe a one-day strike as a protest against any agreement between Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on Kashmir. The [PM] gave the call … at a mammoth public meeting. … The [PM] said the strike be held on the Friday following the announcement of such an agreement. If the announcement is made on a Friday, then the strike would be held on the next Friday. He said strike should be held all over Pakistan, Azad Kashmir [and] occupied Kashmir. …

The [PM] declared … that Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir dispute remained the same… . He said he had not compromised on the principle of the right of self-determination of Kashmiris even at Simla when the two countries had signed the Simla Agreement. However improved Pakistan-India relations might be … there could be no compromise on … Kashmir. … He said Sheikh Abdullah had committed mistakes after mistakes, especially when he reached agreement with … Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru. Now he was committing the gravest mistake again. — News agencies

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025