Bhutto associates held, accused of blasts plan

Press, 8 April 1978, Page 6

Bhutto associates held, accused of blasts plan

NZPA-Reuter Islamabad Several close associates of the deposed Pakistani Prime Minister, Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, have been arrested for allegedly planning to '■ blast several important pub-1 lie buildings, the police have said in Islamabad. Police sources in Lahore, 1 290 km south-east of Islamabad said the arrested politicians included three of Mr! Bhutto’s former Cabinet I Ministers, four former members of the disbanded National Assembly, and several other Pakistani People’s Party activists.

I The arrests were made over the last few days. No ! other details were immedi- . atelv available. The sources alleged that the suspects had planned to I (blow up several important '(public buildings in Lahore (and other cities. They said i one of the targets was to be (the Lahore court where Mr i Bhutto and four supporters were sentenced to death on March 18 for the murder of ■! an Opposition politician in J 1974. These sources also alleged ■! that the group had been financed by the P.P.P. high i command. Mrs Nusrat Bhutto, wife of the con-

i victed politician, is acting 1 P.P.P. chairman. The plan to destroy public buildings was revealed when : the police in Lahore arrested 1 the son of a P.P.P. politician carrying a bag of high-grade ■ explosives, the sources said. I His arrest and interrogation ; revealed the names of sev- ■ eral other persons, whose i names were not disclosed by 1 the police. H The P.P.P. is splitting into 1 two groups, one preaching violent methods against the I military Government of General Mohammad Zia-Ul-Haq tiand the other advocating ' constitutional methods to te- ■' gain power.