This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 11, 1984, Forty Years Ago.
The United States is reported to have offered a nuclear umbrella to Pakistan, as in the case of the NATO countries. US President Ronald Reagan made the offer in a personal letter to President Zia in return for Pakistan abandoning its nuclear weapons programme, the Urdu daily, Nawai Waat, reported.
One Shot Dead
One person was killed and a medical practitioner shot at and wounded in two separate incidents in Punjab while the Gurdaspur police claimed the arrest of a terrorist allegedly involved in the massacre of eight bus passengers near Batala on September 12. Darshan Lai, a shopkeeper, was shot dead while sleeping in the open in Hardowal village in Gurdaspur district.
Buddhism Conference
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi exhorted people to remember Lord Buddha’s teaching that a victory which leaves a trail of sorrow breeds hatred and the only true victory is that in which there are no vanquished. Inaugurating the first international conference on “Buddhism and National Cultures” in New Delhi, the Prime Minister asserted that in today’s times, there can be no victors. The redemption of mankind lies in following the path propagated by Lord Buddha.
Vajpayee’s Claims
The BJP president Atal Bihari Vajpayee has said that in the coming elections, the opposition parties will be contending not only against the ruling party but also against the government. Speaking at the session of the BJP national executive, Vajpayee said that as in totalitarian countries, the dividing line between the government and the ruling party has disappeared: “The Prime Minister, the chief ministers and even the Congress-I general secretary have been carrying on their political campaign almost entirely at government expenses.”
