Address at meeting of the workers of the Pakistan People’s Party in Sukkur on January 21, 1973

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said that after the constitutional accord it was for the National Assembly to finalize and approve a permanent Constitution for the country.

Addressing a meeting of citizens and PPP workers at the Circuit House the said that the Opposition had initiated, signed and publicly applauded the accord. If any amendments are to be made in the constitutional provisions, they could use the forum of the National Assembly, he added.

The President said, the Constitution of the country would be framed by the Constituent Assembly in the light of the constitutional accord reached between leaders of various parliamentary groups. “The matter is now in the hands of the National Assembly, which is a sovereign body. Time for any escape from the constitutional accord has elapsed. The hands of the clock cannot be turned back now.”

The President explained in detail how the constitutional accord was reached. He said that leaders of various parliamentary groups were invited to take part in the deliberations. The talks were held for five days. The provisions which were being opposed now, were suggested by the leaders of other parties, not the PPP, said.

He said that the signatories to the accord put their signatures on behalf of their respective parties. There was no misunderstanding about it then. Those who were out of the country, in London, were consulted on telephone and their approval received.

The President said that the constitutional accord was very much in existence as a law passed by an Assembly remained a law. Afterwards some people might oppose that law.

He said that those who wanted any amendments in the constitutional provisions could use the forum of the National Assembly. If they can muster majority support, they can bring about amendments in it, added.

The President referred to the threat of boycott of the National Assembly by some of the signatories to the constitutional accord and described it and “uncalled for decision.” He added “even we did not talk of boycott when one party of East Pakistan wanted to thrust its own Constitution on West Pakistan at a time when the country was one.

“What we demanded then was that the majority party in the Assembly should give us an assurance that our point of view would be given due consideration in the Assembly at the time of framing of the country’s Constitution. We did the same thing now when we invited other party leader for consultations on constitutional matters outside the Assembly.”

The President said that if some members or parties boycotted the Assembly meetings,” we do not mind. We will frame the Constitution in accordance with the constitutional accord.

“The Qayyum League is the second biggest parliamentary group in the Assembly. It has ten Members. Then there are others, too. We enjoy their support.”

The President referred to the demand for fresh elections and said, “we are not afraid of elections. In fact, we are the product of elections.”

He, however, said that the decision to hold elections would be taken by the Government. That was the practice all over the world. The Opposition parties did not have any say in this matter. Elections in Britain, France or America are held when the Government in power decides to hold them, he explained.

The President also said that nowhere in the world there was the practice of handing over Government to the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court has to run the law,” he observed.

The President advised the defeated politicians to wait and learn lessons of politics for at least five years. The Government, he said, would decide about holding of elections at the appropriate time, when the interests of the people and the nation demanded, when the Constitution would have been framed, when the prisoners of war would have returned home and when other more pressing matters would have been settled.

The President told his audience that more wireless sets and jeeps were planned to be imported for the use of Police force. We will also open more police stations n “kacha” tracts and in Pat Feeder area, he added.

“You will soon notice an improvement in the law and order situation in the Sukkur, Khairpur and Jacobabad areas,” he said.

The President declared that his Government would take stern measures to check smuggling across the borders and said that if need arose the borders would be sealed.

He said that it was a matter of regret that wheat and other things were smuggled out of Pakistan and cigarettes, cloth and other valuable things were being smuggled into the country from Bharat through the Pak-Bharat borders.

He asked the people to cooperate with the Government in the effort to check smuggling along the borders.

He said that three-and-a-half lakh tons of rice produced in West Pakistan, which was previously sent to East Pakistan, was now being exported to Ceylon, Indonesia, Persian Gulf States, Arab States, and Europe. That has helped us earn much foreign exchange.

The President referred to his Government’s decision to devalue Pakistani currency and said that this was overdue. If the previous Governments had taken the decision at a time when it was needed most, the country would have benefited much.

He explained that the devaluation decision had been taken when the value of Pak rupee had to be fixed at the rate of one dollar to 11 Pak rupees. This decision could have been taken earlier when the rate could have been fixed at one dollar to six Pak rupees or seven Pak rupees.

The President said that the philosophy of his Government and that of previous Governments was quite different. “We do not believe that because we have bureaucracy, a police force and army, we can run the Government. Our philosophy is that the People are the real force. We have to run the Government for the people, and with their help.”