Pakistan Govt details Bhutto ’abuses’

Press, 25 January 1979, Page 9

Pakistan Govt details Bhutto ’abuses’

NZPA Islamabad! 1 The Pakistan Government:! has issued a W’hite Paper al-11 leging widespread misuse of!I power by the former Prime!l Minister. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto || during his five and a half! years of rule!! before the military over- I throw of his Government in I 1977. i It is the second of four s volumes of the White Paper dealing with various aspects i of alleged irregularities by I Bhutto. The first volume, < made public on January 15, : dealt with the personal con- I duct of the former Prime | Minister in his public capac- ; ity and that of his family i and associates. < Mr Bhutto is in the Ra- .

Iwalpindi Central Jail, awaiti ing the verdict on his appeal 1 to the Supreme Court of Paikistan against his death sentence on charges of ordering ■ the killing of a political opponent four years ago. ' The White Paper is seen ’in some quarters as an attempt to soften opposition to the court’s expected decision to confirm the death sentence. The 353-page second volume, “The Performance of the Bhutto Regime,” discusses in detail Bhutto’s alleged railroading of legislation to give him arbitrary powers making widespread amendments in the Constitution to retain his power, curtailing the powers of the Judiciary in order to humili-

■ ate it and make it follow his I personal orders, and establishment of special courts • and tribunals to hand down ; harsh punishments to his political opponents. It also includes a large i number of documents signed ■by Bhutto purporting to i show how he ordered mass • purges of civil servants and i abolition of the guarantees of service to Government ■ employees. They also purport to show he handed out money to his . political favourites and sup- ’ porters, misused the popuI lation planning organisation to provide jobs to his party- ! men, and squandered public money.