Zia appeals for unity

Press, 25 March 1980, Page 8

Zia appeals for unity

NZPA-Reuter Rawalpindi Pakistan's military ruler, 1 .General Zia-Ul-Haq. has 'marked the country’s; (national day by appealing; [for unity against a possible, (foreign threat. > : ; He made no mention of, his political plans or his ef-; forts to create a civilian] Government. A year ago, from the same!

(pavilion at Rawalpindi’s race, course, he announced that! there would be a Generali Election on November 17,( (and that his mission on taking over power in a blood-! 'less coup against the then; Prime Minister, Zulfikar Alii Bhutto, in July, 1977, was; coming to an end. ; Seven months later he | cancelled the election and; imposed a more stringent] martial law, banning all] political activity and detaining potentially quarrelsome politicians. This year General Zia

limited his. speech to an appeal for national unity. Approaches he has made i to some political leaders to join his Government have ; been rejected. Alternative proposals, such as reviving i

..the country’s senate, have sq 'far failed to win approval. The military parade he re- : viewed yesterday did not inI elude tanks, armoured ve- ' hides, or aircraft, an omis- ' sion the Government said was to conserve fuel. I Officers in an armoured ; division based near Rawal- ’ pindi were said to have been ! involved in a coup plot unI covered on March 5. I According to reports circulating in Islamabad, the ' plotters had hoped to overthrow General Zia yesterday ‘while he reviewed the milijtary parade. A retired major-general (and three of his relatives ‘serving in the armoured division and the Third Baluch (Regiment have been arrested [in connection with the plot. | A detachment from the Third Baluch Regiment, which was on Presidential guard duty when the alleged coup plot was uncovered by telephone eavesdropping, took part in yesterday’s parade.

General Zia said the armed forces must guard against any intervention by an expansionist Power.