RAWALPINDI: President Mohammad Ayub Khan has said that he does not desire to lead any political party. The President, who was replying to a letter from Mr Khurshid Khalid, Nazim-i-Ala of the Khaksar movement, said that he cannot, therefore, accept his offer to assume the leadership of the Khaksar Party.

Explaining restrictions imposed by some local authorities on Khaksars using military-style uniforms and doing parade, the President said there was no justification for a military-type private political organisation to function in an independent country.

The Khaksars instead of assuming features similar to those of the military would do best if they selflessly served the people according to the objectives of their own organisation. In his letter, the President thanked Mr Khurshid for writing to him that the Khaksars had full confidence in the Government.

The President also thanked him for his offer to take the leadership of the Khaksar Party. He said he had received letters containing similar requests from Khaksars from various places and that he had sent them the same reply. “I neither desire nor seek to lead any political party and as such I find myself unable to accept this offer.”— Agencies

Fee hike

KARACHI: Educational institutions in the city, which have without authorisation raised the tuition and extra-curricular fees during the current academic session, have been warned by the Directorate of Education, Karachi, against this irregular step taken by them.

Some colleges and schools, it is stated, have raised the rates of fees themselves and parents have made representations against this arbitrary increase in the fees to the Directorate.—Staff Correspondent