MR BHUTTO AMIDST CROWD; WALKING; WITH PARTY OFFICIALS AT PARTY HEADQUARTERS; WALKING TO CAR; AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN HIS HOME, WITH HIS SON.




Initials NAC/VS/JF/ES



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Background: MR ZULFICAR BHUTTO, A FORMER PAKISTAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND NOW CHAIRMAN OF THE LEFT-WING PEOPLE'S PARTY AND ARCH-ENEMY OF PRESIDENT AYUB KHAN, RETURNED TO HIS HOME TOWN OF LARKANA YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) AFTER HIS RELEASE FROM 3 MONTHS OF DETENTION AT LAHORE. AN ESTIMATED 250,000 PEOPLE HIM A TRIUMPHANT WELCOME IN A PROCESSION THROUGH THE STREETS.

IN AN ACCIDENT DURING THE PROCESSION, A YOUNG MAN, LATER IDENTIFIED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OF PAKISTAN AS LIAQUAT ALI, A CIGARETTE SELLER, WAVED A PISTOL AT MR BHUTTO AS HE DROVE PAST IN A JEEP. PEOPLE AROUND THE YOUNG MAN IMMEDIATELY GRABBED HOLD OF ALI AND BEGAN TO BEAT HIM. MR BHUTTO INTERVIEWED HOWEVER TO PREVENT ALI BEING SERIOUSLY INJURED. AS IT WAS HE WAS BLEEDING PROFUSELY AS HE WAS LED AWAY BY THE POLICE.

LATER MR BHUTTO ADDRESSED A CROWD AT LARKANA STADIUM, AND HAD A MEETING WITH OFFICIALS OF HIS PARTY AT THE PARTY HEADQUARTERS AT KENNEDY MARKET, BEFORE GIVING A PRESS CONFERENCE IN HIS HOME, WAITING NEWSMEN.

SHORTLY BEFORE HIS RELEASE MR BHUTTO HAD BEGUN A HUNGER-STRIKE "TO THE DEATH" IN PROTEST AT PAKISTAN'S STATE OF EMERGENCY THAT HAS BEEN IN FORCE SINCE THE INDIA-PAKISTAN DISPUTE OVER KASHMIR IN 1965. AFTER THE PROCESSION AND HIS MEETING WITH PARTY OFFICIALS. MR BHUTTO ENDED HIS FAST AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT (SUNDAY).

THE STATE OF EMERGENCY WILL BE LIFTED BY THE GOVERNMENT TODAY.