Islamabad: Former Pakistan military ruler Ayub Khan, whose diaries have been published posthumously in the form of a book, had accused former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of declaring himself as an Indian citizen in courts till 1958 to get compensation for the property left by his parents in India before Partition.
"Up to the time he became a minister in 1958, Bhutto had been declaring before the Indian courts that he was an Indian citizen residing in Karachi. The object was to get some compensation for the property left by his parents in India," Khan wrote.
In a noting in the new book Diaries of Field Marshal Mohummad Ayub Khan from 1966-1972, being released here on May 4, Khan wrote on June 30, 1967 "an awkward question was asked in the National Assembly."
"In fact, he was selling his soul for about Rs 1.50 lakh. All this was not known to us till recently when the matter was discussed in Indian Parliament and came out in the press," Pakistan's first military ruler, who took over power in a bloodless coup in 1958 and relinquished power under intense pressure to another military ruler Gen Yahya Khan.
Throughout his diaries, Ayub poured scorn on Bhutto whom he detested intensely. Ayub also accused him of offering to United States to spy on other delegations in United Nations during a meeting with the then US Secretary of State.
In another noting, Ayub accused Bhutto of trying to become another Krishna Menon.
"Demagogy became his stock in trade. Several warnings went unheeded. So, there was no alternative but to tell him to go. Besides, he started drinking himself stupor and led a very loose life. It is pity that a man of considerable talent went astray. I offered him a foreign assignment, but he was not interested," he wrote about Bhutto.
After he lost power, Ayub carried on with his tirade against Bhutto who was hanged by another military ruler Zia ul Haq in 1979.
In one of his notings in the diary in January 1971, Ayub wrote that Bhutto in his talks with Mujibur Rehman, the founder leader of Bangladesh, would actually encourage separation of East Pakistan from the west.
"Bhutto whilst wanting separation and even encouraging it would act in such a manner as to put all the blame on Mujibur Rehman, though that would not do any harm to the latter's image. Rehman will be bigger hero in Bengal at least to begin with until reality dawns.
"However, Bhutto's purpose would also be served by having West Pakistan all to himself in conjunction with Yahya. How long he will last is another matter. I have a hunch that one day this game is bound to come to sticky end", Ayub Khan wrote.
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