Building an Image

Verses from the Holy Koran echoed in the sumptuous banquet hall of the garish new six-story hotel that stands almost alone in Pakistan's still abuilding capital of Islamabad. While Britain's Prince Philip and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aram looked on, Pakistan's chief justice pronounced an oath's solemn words. Outside, a 21-gun salute boomed across the green Potwar Plateau. So last week Mohammed Ayub Khan, 57, was inaugurated as Pakistan's first elected President.

His new term, vowed the Sandhurst-educated soldier who seized power in 1958, would be different. "My government," he declared, "will be more in touch with the elected representatives of the people than before." Not only would he set up "forums of intellectuals, experts and knowledgeable persons" for official consultation, Ayub promised, but "In any case, I shall welcome a personal letter from any source if it has an original or workable idea."

His solicitude for individual views may have been prompted by the considerable measure of support (39%) attracted by Miss Fatima Jinnah in the presidential election Ayub won in January. But he clearly was not overly worried about control of the country, for his government had received additional confirmation in the latest round of nationwide voting. In legislative elections last week, Ayub's Pakistan Moslem League Party increased its majority from less than two-thirds to 77% of the 150 general seats in the National Assembly, a margin big enough to give Ayub power to change the constitution at will. The victory gave Ayub an undisputably firm base at home from which to continue his successful image-building abroad--a week-long visit to Moscow starting this weekend and a slightly shorter visit to Washington commencing April 25, on top of his friendly call on Red China's leaders in Peking last month.

His cordiality toward the Communist Chinese brought Ayub another diplomatic gain last week, at the expense of India, whose military threat to Pakistan, he insisted, "is increasing day by day." In Karachi, Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Yi signed a pact delineating a 300-mile Himalayan border between China and Pakistan, thus implying Peking recognition of Pakistan's suzerainty (disputed by India) over the part of Kashmir it actually controls.

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