INTERVIEW WITH MR. HASNAIN HEYKAL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AL-AHRAM, Recorded on March 2, 1973

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said that Pakistan wants a comprehensive settlement of the Prisoners of War problem and all other major issues before it can move towards recognition of Bangladesh. Such a settlement, he said, was necessary to ensure that new tensions did not arise between them. Peace was imperative for both of them and therefore Pakistan wanted real improvement in the atmosphere.

The President was discussing the implications of the recognition of Bangladesh with Mr. Hasnain Heykal, Editor-in-Chief of “Al-Ahram” in Rawalpindi.

The President said he wanted to meet Mr. Mujib-ur-Rahman because he wanted to settle all the major issues once and for all. The issues included war trials, prisoners of war (POWs), treatment of Biharis and others, and the question of so-called collaborators. There was also the question of assets and liabilities, internal as well as external.

He said he wanted to be sure that after they recognize Bangladesh, Mr. Mujib-ur-Rahman did not create some other major problem, which was not unexpected from him. The President said apart from every other consideration, it was in Pakistan’s interest to have links again with Muslim Bengal and these links, he realized, could only come by recognition. Pakistan is therefore prepared to negotiate and come to a settlement with them the sooner the better.

Replying a question, the President said both China and the Soviet Union have interest in the subcontinent. The Soviet Union has given a lot of military and economic assistance to India. They have also got new interest in Bangladesh. They have set up a base more or less in Chittagong and, Bangladesh is the backdoor of China.

The President said Pakistan wanted to maintain good relations with China, and also with the Soviet Union, because both of them are Pakistan’s direct neighbors. Of course with China, over a period of time, Pakistan had developed special relations. With the Soviet Union too, Pakistan’s relations had improved considerably. But, he added, Pakistan wanted to keep away from the big power interests of China and Russia.

The President said Pakistan wanted to normalize here relations with India. China also wanted to see a normalization of situation in the subcontinent, no matter what the Indians might say. So, from that point of view, he did not envisage any tension arising between Pakistan and the Soviet Union. But if the Soviet Union tried to revive and press for the Asian Security Pact, Pakistan was not going to succumb to it. Pakistan had suffered a lot from pacts. They were supposed to give security but Pakistan lost half of the country while being a member of the two pacts. Pakistan was, therefore, allergic to pacts and did not want to get involved in yet another pact. Moreover, the deeper question is: Asian security against whom?

Turning to the Middle East, the President said Pakistan was vitally interested in what happened in the Middle East. The deadlock there affects Pakistan directly. The present stalemate of ‘no peace, no war’ must be broken, whether it is done through direct or indirect negotiations, because it will affect the very vitals of Arabs. He assured Mr. Heykal that whatever the Arabs decided and whatever position they took, and this principally pertained to Egypt, Pakistan shall be with them. He said that the Middle East situation had a strong bearing on Pakistan’s own situation. If they were not going to resolve their problem in the Middle East, he feared great convulsions in the subcontinent also. India, in spite of her victory in the war, was facing the brunt of the problem of poverty and rising expectations. So, also Pakistan could not continue in the present position with rising defense budget, he observed.

The President said Pakistan supported the Arab cause on Palestine on merit and for objective considerations, not simply because the Arabs are Muslims; but their’s is just and right cause. Pakistan, he said had suffered a lot for her support to the Arabs. Israel had actually masterminded the dismemberment campaign against Pakistan and is still active. But Pakistan would back up the Arab cause to the better end, come what may.