Address at the Pakistan People’s Party reception in Peshawar on November 24, 1972

Speaking at the People’s Party workers’ reception, the President said he wondered why the Yugoslavian Government had been consistently opposed to Pakistan. Belgrade had followed the same policy of hostility against Pakistan after the 1965 war, he said.

The President said that “even if all other members of the world body pass the resolution, I will not accept it.”

He thought that the object of the Yugoslav resolution in the United Nations could be nothing but an attempt to cause a head-on clash between Pakistan and Bangladesh whose people were bound by religion. Yugoslavia knew it perfectly well that even if its resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority, it would have no effect so far as the admission of Bangladesh was concerned. Bangladesh could be admitted only if the Security Council, with the full approval of its five permanent members, including China, supported its admission.

The President said that the Yugoslavian resolution was bound to cause further bitterness between Dacca and Islamabad. He said that he would urge the other countries to let Pakistan and Bangladesh resolve their problems bilaterally without external interference.

The President also appealed to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to realize the importance of resolving the issues with Pakistan without third-party interference. “We had enough of these external interferences,” he said, and added: “Sheikh Mujib wants me to apologies. All that can be done, but first let us sit down together and if then it is considered necessary to apologies, I will not have any hesitation in doing so as a Muslim.”

The President recalled that during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, Yugoslavia and Malaysia had supported India, but he pointed out that Pakistan and Yugoslavia had been maintaining good relations, including economic cooperation.

He also pointed out that Yugoslavia had differences with the Soviet Union and China, but Pakistan never interfered.

He said: it was being stated that this resolution would also be “in our interest” and added, “we know what is in our interest. This resolution is not in our interests.”

He said, if there could be a Bangladesh in Pakistan, there could be Bangladesh in other countries also, and then Pakistan could also bring such resolutions. “I strongly protest to the Yugoslav Government,” he said.