The provisions of the proposed Aligarh Muslim University (Amendment) bill were scrutinised by the home minister, Zail Singh, and the law minister, Shiv Shankar, at a high-level meeting. The draft bill, seeking to confer minority character on the premier Muslim educational institution, will be placed before the cabinet for its approval this week. The bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament before the end of the budget session. The bill is identical to the one introduced by the Janata government and approved by the Lok Sabha in 1979. Before the bill could be endorsed by the elders, the Janata government fell.
Both Houses of Parliament erupted in anger over the lathi-charge by the Delhi police on a procession of blind persons going to the prime minister’s house. Opposition members stormed out of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in protest. The government did express regret over the incident and announced that a judicial enquiry had been ordered on the instructions of Indira Gandhi. The blind were going to the PM’s house to hand over a memorandum. The Prime Minister, who had been absent from the House, rushed in after hearing about the uproar. She expressed her own sorrow at the incident saying, “I am deeply sorry.”
Pakistan’s president, General Zia-ul-Haq, confirmed that a coup was attempted against him earlier this month but said “it was not deep rooted”. General Zia told newsmen after a conference on the Muslim Haj pilgrimage, that he was “firmly convinced” there was a “foreign hand” in exaggerating an individual’s attempt which was designed to confront Pakistan with a new situation. He noted that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Voice of America and Voice of Germany radio stations “projected” the coup attempt abroad “as if Pakistan has been turned upside down”.
