Articles by Mohammed Ayoob

Why is all this being done? Though nobody says so, it is obvious that China is no longer isolated in the international field as it was in 1959 or even in 1962. Most countries of the world have recognised it and established diplomatic relations with it. Others (like the countries of Southeast Asia) are standing in a queue to negotiate with it for the establishment of diplomatic relations, for opening trade and for the exchange of experience and knowledge. The US has opened a mission in Peking, is sending one high-level team after another there to settle not only their mutual problems but also seek China's help to settle the problems of the area around China. The feeling, therefore, is that India must again cultivate relations with China to keep more foreign policy options open for itself, and not to remain in the company of the very few hostile to China.

would not in themselves be things to be concerned about if they led the government to improve quickly the efficiency of existing public corporations and to rapidly enlarge the managerial capabilities available to the government. Unfortunately, nothing of the kind is happening. Officials, ministers. and supporters of the government look THE phenomenal showing of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in Punjab and Sind in the Pakistani elections of December 1970 brought to the notice of the world for the first time that the traditional political structure of West Pakistani society was undergoing rapid transformation. Today, the PPP, with its clear majority in the National Assembly of Pakistan (after the liberation of Bangla Desh) has emerged as the ruling party in that country and its founder and Chairman, Z A Bhutto, is now the President of Pakistan. It is, therefore, all the more important that we try to construct a profile of the PPP in order to understand the class character and the social background of its leadership as well as of the rank and file and have some ideas of the socio-political base of the ruling party in Pakistan with which, sooner rather than later, New Delhi Will have to do business.

to do business with India will first have to be ascertained. But there is up sign so far that China is dogmatically opposed to the idea, as she apparently is in the case of the US. At the moment, it is possible to proceed on the assumption that a business-like probe by India PAKISTAN A Plan Too Soon Mohammed Ayoob AS a pointer to the economic thinking of Pakistan's lading elite, Pakistan's budget for 1970-71, presented 'by Finance Minister 'Muzaffar Ali Qizilhush on June 29, is interesting. It also happens to be the budget for the first year of the Fourth Five-Year Plan launched on July 1. In what seems a cynical act, the Yahya "Khan administration decided to finalise and put through the Fourth Five-Year Plan now, though Pakistan is on the eve of its first-ever general elections. East Pakistani public opinion is, of course, overwhelmingly against this precipitate pushing through of the Plan by the ruling clique.

Ayub Regime Challenged from Within Mohammed Ayoob THE past few weeks have been particularly difficult for the Ayub regime in Pakistan. It has had to face a barrage of hostile criticism. Not that the Ayub regime, in spite of its quasi-dictatorial nature, has been completely free of criticism before. What makes the present situation unique is the fact that the criticism has now begun to come even from within the establishment. New techniques have been used in the past few weeks to give vent to the feeling of disenchantment with the Ayub regime in certain quarters.