KARACHI: President Nicolae Ceausescu was accorded a cordial welcome when he arrived in Karachi from Manila yesterday afternoon [April 13] on a two-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Six PAF jets escorted the Boeing 707 carrying the Romanian President and Madam Elena Ceausescu and their entourage.

A 21-gun salute heralded the arrival of the Romanian Head of State … who emerged from the plane wearing a navy blue suit followed by his wife who was attired in a white skirt with light blue spots. Simultaneously, a large number of people … burst into cheers and raised welcome slogans. — Staff reporter [Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Peking,] China today [April 13] accused India of annexing the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim and made a fierce attack on the ugly expansionist features of the New Delhi Government. A commentary in the official ‘People’s Daily’ said India had deprived the Chogyal of his authority at the point of a bayonet.

“With deep indignation, the Chinese people strongly condemn this Indian action,” it said. “The Indian expansionists … have become more unscrupulous in recent years.”

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2025