ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was accorded an enthusiastic welcome here today [March 1] when he returned home after a 12-day [foreign] tour … with the happy news that besides the agreements al­­ready concluded during his visits one or two more agreements with Canada were exp­ec­t­­ed… . Addressing a big crowd [he] said that Foreign Secretary Agha Shahi and the Chair­man of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Munir Husain, have stayed back in Ottawa for further negotiations with Canadian officials. … The [PM] referred to Pakistan’s re­­cent agreement with France in the atomic field and reiterated that Pakistan would use the French assistance only for peaceful purposes and not for producing atomic weapons. To assure the international community of Pa­­kistan’s intentions … he said his Government has agreed to international inspections and checks. — Islamabad Bureau

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Rawalpindi,] General Mohammad Ziaul Haq today [March 1] took over as Chief of the Army Staff at General Headquarters. In the morning, when Gen Zia arrived at GHQ, a guard of honour was presented to him which he also inspected. Later, he shook hands with senior army officers.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026