Department of State

 

TELEGRAM

CONFIDENTIAL 475

 

 

060755Z JAN 68

FM AMEMBASSY RAWALPINDI

TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3875

CONFIDENTIAL RAWALPINDI 2606

B/W LAHORE 2796 0050845 ACTION RAWALPINDI INFO DACCA, PESHAWAR, AND KARACHI RPT FOR UR INFO: QUOTE:

SUBJECT: ARRESTS

REF:          LAHORE 2773: DACCA CAS REPORT NPD 2063

 

l. Local contact who is District and Sessions judge and high-grade CSP officer informed ConGen Poloff Jan 4 that he could confirm arrest of three prominent CSP officers, all Bengalis. He could recall names of only two:

 

a. M. R. Qaddus, Vice Principal of Administrative Staff College, Lahore (advanced

training institution for civil service officers.

b. Shams-ur-Rehman Khan, CSP officer who had been on some kind of special

mission to Indonesia when recalled and arrested (see second ref).

 

2. Same source had heard rumor of arrest of Bhutto, Azam Khan, Awan and Shahab, but could not vouch for correctness of information. He had learned "reliably" that Pirzada has been offered Supreme Court justiceship and that Syed Fida Hassan will take over Foreign Affairs portfolio, at least temporarily.

 

Of possible interest in view reported Pak security service interest in wife of D.K. Power, until recently Central Secretary of Health, Labor and Social welfare (again see NPO 2063) is information from same Lahore judge that D.K. Power is to be appointed next Principal of Administrative Staff College, succeeding M.N. Abbasi, who goes to Somali on some kind of United Nations Commission. Power is English­born convert to Islam naturalized Pakistani. Married to prominent Bengali from Dacca. New Vice Principal succeeding Qaddus, is Hassan Habib, American trained, relative of Syed Fida Hassan.

 

4. Source had no informative remarks to make on specific reasons for the arrests reported para I except the supposition, based on their common Bengali origin that they were suspected of involvement in East Pakistan separatist conspiracy. Adams Unquote. Oehlert.

 

ADAMS

UNQUOTE OEHLERT

 

Source: The American Papers- Secret and Confidential India.Pakistan.Bangladesh Documents 1965-1973, The University Press Limited, p.247