Speech at a banquet held in Quetta,on February 27, 1973

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declared that a through inquiry was being made into the smuggling of arms into Pakistan and as soon as it had been completed, full facts would he placed before the public.

Speaking at a banquet held in his honor by the citizens of Quetta, the President said that at this stage he did not want to take names of the persons. Involved. But, he added, the Government had prior knowledge that arms were being brought in through Mekran coast into Baluchistan it also knew how and where they were being smuggled into NWFP, but full details would be made public only after the inquiry had been completed. He said it would be left to the public to decide the action to be taken against the culprits.

The president said, it was being said that arms had been found in Islamabad and they could not have been meant for Baluchistan of Frontier. Of cause they were found in Islamabad, he said, and added some people wanted to create disturbances in Sind and Punjab also so that the people in the outside world came to the conclusion that Pakistani could not hold together and destructionists n Balushistan and NWFP could declare themselves independent.

He said, it was also being suggested in certain quarters that these arms were meant not for use in Pakistani but in Iran. He asked why the arms meant for Iran should come to Islamabad. Iran and Iraq had common border and arms means for Iran could have been smuggled more easily there from other sources.

He said, Pakistan could not have a Constitution for 25 years and that was one of the reasons why East Pakistan was lost. Certain elements he said, were bent on fermenting internal trouble so that the present Constitution Assembly was not able to frame a Constitution and the country remained engrossed in internal troubles and its dismemberment was facilitated.

He said that much of the trouble was also directed against his own person because God Almighty had given him the strength to sever the country. But, he added, the people were behind him and all conspiracies against Pakistan or against his own person were bound to fall.