BAMIYAN: Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto arrived this morning [June 9] in Bamiyan, the historical northern province of Afghanistan. … [He] was the luncheon guest of the provincial Governor. … [He] today visited the relics of the Greco-Buddhist era. The chief attractions of Bamiyan are the statues of Buddha. The tallest is 175 feet, carved in rocks.

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Moscow,] the Soviet Union today [June 9] warned other Powers not to intervene in Lebanon, saying that it was much closer to the Middle East than certain countries it said were threatening direct military interference in the affairs of Lebanon. “The Soviet Union is not less interested than those (Powers) in how the situation in Lebanon and around it continues to develop. … Nobody should lose sight of this.” The statement charged that the US Navy is still plying close to Lebanese shores, noted that France had proposed sending a military contingent, and complained that despite Syrian intervention supposed to stop bloodshed, blood flows in ever greater streams. … The … statement called for a cease-fire without delay.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2026