The World - News from Nov. 2, 1987

Pakistan Foreign Minister Sahabzada Yaqub Khan resigned for what he called “personal reasons.” The government announcement did not elaborate on why the popular 67-year-old Cabinet member chose to leave the government. Rumors in the capital were that Yaqub Khan simply felt it was time to retire after more than five years. Government sources in Islamabad said President Zia ul-Haq and Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junejo tried in vain to persuade him to stay. Yaqub Khan had been a contender to succeed Amadou Mahtar M’bow of Senegal as head of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization before he withdrew from that contest, saying he did not want to jeopardize Afro-Asian harmony.