Address at Shabqadar on November 20, 1972

Addressing a tribal jirga, president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said that if attempts had been made in this direction earlier, constitutional problems could have been solved long ago.

The president said that the National Assembly was a sovereign body and was empowered to make amendments to the Accord. So far as his party was concerned, it had fully considered all aspects of the Agreement before signing it. Now it would honor the Accord even if it were to prove disadvantageous to it.

The President said that his party, too, could find excuses to violate the Accord. But it would never do so because “if we bring up our personal likes and dislikes in matters of national importance, then no decisions can be taken.”

He regretted that even 25 years after gaining freedom, Pakistan had not been able to frame its constitution and had not advanced one step.

The President expressed the hope that the Constituent Assembly would frame a constitution in keeping with the will and aspirations of the people. With the framing of the constitution, all political problems of fundamental nature would be resolved by March or April, he said, adding from then on we shall be able to devote full attention to improving the economic condition of the country.

The President emphasized the need for pooling efforts to help usher in an era of prosperity. He said that the country had suffered irreparably on account of petty misunderstandings in the past.

The President declared that if o efforts were made to resolve the economic problems facing the country, all attempts to achieve political solidarity would be of no avail, because political problems could not be separated from economic issues. “Both political and economic problems are, in fact, complementary to each other.”

The President said no individual could stay in power forever. “Change is a rule of nature.” If someone dreamed of ruling forever, it would be difficult to run the government. Governments were run for a purpose and in accordance with an ideology, he remarked.

The President said that the country could not afford another crisis. Petty misunderstandings which had caused several crises in the past must, therefore, be sunk.

He said that if he did not take a decision regarding the future it would become difficult to run the Government or solve problems.

Touching upon foreign policy, he said that foreign policy was of paramount importance for political and economic solidarity. “If we continued to follow an independent foreign policy it shall help us in solving problems facing the nation.”

A good foreign policy would have a good impact on the country.