LAHORE: Dr. Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, said here tonight [Aug 8] that the security, territorial integrity and independence of Pakistan “are a matter of great concern for the United States”. Replying to Prime Minister Bhutto’s speech at a banquet, Dr Kissinger said that Pakistan was the country which had made it possible for the US to launch her initiative towards China — it was the important initiative for peace of the world, and the US would never forget the role played by Pakistan.

This was a reference to Dr Kissinger’s dramatic visit to China in 1971, when he flew to Peking from Islamabad. … The Secretary of State also paid tributes to the leadership of Prime Minister Bhutto and said “we know how he (Mr. Bhutto) took over his country in a most tragic and desperate period and how he has turned it to international respect, to self-confidence, and to a more important role than it has ever played before”. Earlier … the Prime Minister said there would be no compromise on the historic issue of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, because such a compromise would only create problems… .

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2026