1971-04-27
By Kathleen Teltsch
Page: 3
The 28‐year‐old vice consul of Pakistan here renounced his ties with the Pakistani Government yesterday, saying he would “not serve a government killing our own people.”
With his 20‐year‐old wife at his side, A. H. Mahmoud Ali read a statement at a news conference pledging allegiance to the separatist Bangla Desh regime proclaimed in East Pakistan. He announced that he and his wife were asking the United States for political asylum.
An official of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service said that the request would be considered.
Mr. Ali is the first member of the Pakistani foreign service in the United States to come out for the East Pakistani independence movement. Both he and his wife are East Pakistanis.
Mr. Ali said at the news conference held at the Church World Center, 777 United Nations Plaza, that the Pakistan Government ordered him to re turn home last week. He added that the likely reason was that he could not hide his sympathy for his fellow Bengalis.
He said Bengalis at the consulate and others serving abroad had been kept from doing their usual work, prohibited from handling Government business and also were spied upon when they visited other Bengalis.
Mr. Ali estimated that there were 200 Pakistani officials serving abroad and that 25 per cent of them were Bengalis.
Pakistani officials here, asked for comment on Mr. All's defection, referred all inquiries to the embassy in Washington
Reached by telephone, spokesman there disputed some aspects of Mr. Ali's account of his break with the Government. He said Mr. Ali had been told at the end of March that he was to be transferred to Ghana, but that, after collecting $2,974 for travel expenses, he had refused to go. As a consequence, the embassy spokesman said, the vice consul was dismissed from his duties on April 10.
Mr. Ali said that he had received three days' notice of his transfer and had asked for more time to prepare for the trip. Instead, he said, he was notified last Wednesday that the transfer order had been canceled and that he must return to Pakistan.