Address at a public meeting in Bannu on November 22, 1972

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said that efforts were being made to give the country a truly democratic constitution. The past constitutions were the works of one man and thoroughly undemocratic. That was why they did not work.

The President said that a democratic constitution was the foremost requirement of the country and the greatest attention was being paid to it. In this connection, he said, an accord had been reached on the basic principles.

The President urged the people to work hard to make Pakistan strong and prosperous. Frequent strikes would adversely affect the production and that in turn will thwart the pace of progress. He said the huge foreign loans received in the past had not been properly used. Otherwise, things would have been much better. The present Government, however, would spare no effort to fulfill the needs of the people. A start had been made in the right direction but since there was no magic lamp, everything could not be achieved overnight.

The President, responding to a petition of grievances presented by representatives of the Bannu Woollen Mills Workers’ Union, held out the assurance that an inquiry would be held into the affairs of the mills.

He told the people of Bannu that their demand to convert the military dairy farm into a college and hostels could not be accepted, as the farm was necessary to supply milk to the armed forces. He said a better site would be found for their college.

The president also assured the tribesmen that greater efforts would be made for the development of their areas and announced the upgrading of the intermediate college of the Agency to the degree level. Besides, he said a match factory costing Rs.70 lakh would be set up and a woolen mill was being planned.

The President said: the people and Government would have to put in united efforts to catch up with the fast developing world.

Earlier, addressing a big crowd which had gathered to greet him at the air strip, the President paid rich tributes to the tribesmen and called them the sword-arm of Pakistan.

The tribesmen had rendered great sacrifices for the sake of the country, he said, and hoped that in future too they would make similar sacrifices.

He assured the tribesmen, in reply to their demand, that the constitution would be based on Islamic principles. He said that if the all-party agreement on basic constitutional issues signed recently, had not been Islamic, the representatives, of JUI would not have signed it.