Address at the Pakistan People’s Party Convention at Rawalpindi on November 30, 1972

Addressing the delegates to the People’s Party Convention, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said: “We want to establish Islamic socialism — the socialism of Quaid-i-Azam.”

He said: “We will not take directives from outside” and added that he had never told any of his colleagues in the party that he was a Communist.

“I was born in a Muslim family. I am a Muslim and will always remain a Muslim,” he said.

He also said that his party would not allow anyone to use the fair name of Islam for exploitation.

The President said” “we are at war also with those who want to such the blood of the people by exploiting religion.”

He said that there should be no misunderstanding about his party’s programme which stands for Socialism, and not Communism.

He asked if resumption of 30 lakh acres of land without compensation, nationalization of insurance and take-over of 20 categories of industries were not steps in pursuit of socialistic ideals.

He said that the pace of reforms could have been accelerated but it has to be slow in our case because we have to combine the parliamentary system of government with our socialistic ideals.

The President deprecated the tendency among party members towards in fights and squabbles. We should be prepared; he said, to listen to criticism which is reasonable and fair.

Talking about the charges against the party of deviation from party ideals, the President said that the party was wedded to scientific Socialism, not Communism. He said extremists of the Left could also be accused of opportunism like big landlords and industrialists who joined the PPP during the election.

He castigated the bureaucracy for trying to create rifts in the political leadership at all levels. He said his prime mission was to put bureaucracy in its proper place. It has its role as people’s servant and not its master. It was the bureaucracy, he added, which was mainly responsible for the misdeeds and undoing of past governments.

The President charged some reactionary parties with trying to create misunderstandings between the Armed Forces and the political Government. He assured the Armed Forces that “we wish them well” and said that his Government had enlarged the Defence budget.

“They have plenty of work of their own to do,” he added, but even then if some Generals “might be having different ambitions,” they had better get rid of them.

The President referring to the issue of Bangladesh recognition, reiterated his view that the people have to take a decision in the matter. However, it has to be a correct decision, for if they took a wrong decision, they had to be prepared for the consequences.

He then paid a tribute to China for its continuing firm support to Pakistan in its stand. He also said that he would lead the welcome to Raja Tridev Roy when he comes back. As an East Pakistan, the Raja had performed his duties with great devotion despite numerous pressures on him.

He said that he also wanted to pay a tribute to the Soviet Government for the helpful decision in the UN General Assembly.

The President paid tributes to the Rawalpindi-Islamabad PPP for the fine arrangements made by it for the Convention.

The President spoke for about two and a half hours and his speech continued till well after midnight.

He was loudly cheered several times and the speech was punctuated with loud slogans.

Morning News Report