LAHORE: Enthusiastic youths greeted Mr Zulfi­kar Ali Bhutto, former Foreign Minister, at the Lahore airport tonight [Oct 3] as he stepped out of the PIA Fokker Friendship plane on his arrival here tonight.

All security cordons were broken when hundreds of waiting youths saw the plane which was late by one hour, and they jumped over the railing and greeted Mr Bhutto on the apron halfway through the gangway with the slogan “Bhutto Zindabad”.

It became impossible for other passengers, including Begum Nusrat Bhutto, to come out of the plane for about three or four minutes.

From the gangway, the youths and other admirers carried Mr Bhutto on their shoulders towards the concourse hall, profusely garlanded him and shouted slogans all the way.

Mr Bhutto seemed deeply moved by this spontaneous welcome. He waved affectionately at his admirers and well-wishers as he left the airport.

[Meanwhile, as reported by agencies from Moscow,] under the heading “General Rabin rattles the Sabre”, “Pravda” today published a comment on the purposes of a new conspiracy by Israel against Syria. Concerning the recent statement by the Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gen Rabin that “retaliatory action” by Israeli armed forces would be “directed primarily against the political regime which exists in Syria”, Mr Petrov writes:

“It appears that the reactionary militarist circles of Israel, no longer content with provoking border incidents, are harbouring plans of a deep armed invasion of Syrian territory for the purpose of overthrowing the Government which exists in that country.”

Mr Petrov wrote that Israel’s aggressive preparations are unfolding against the background of growing pressure on Syria by the imperialist Powers and “Arab reaction”.

“The aggressive preparations of Israeli militarists and Arab reactionaries, encouraged by Imperialist Powers headed by the United States, cannot but arouse the deep concern of the peace-loving peoples interested in the maintenance of peace and security in the area.”

Published in Dawn October 4th, 2016