Shultz Arrives for Zia Funeral, Says U.S.-Pakistan Links ‘Will Endure’

Declaring that “this journey is a journey in sorrow,” Secretary of State George P. Shultz arrived here Friday to mourn the death of President Zia ul-Haq, one of the United States’ closest allies, and to encourage Pakistan’s new leadership to maintain its commitment to constitutional democracy.

Shultz told reporters he will stress during meetings today with new President Ghulam Ishaq Khan that the U.S. commitment to Pakistan will not die with its longest-serving military ruler.

“The relationship between the United States and Pakistan is an enduring one, and it will endure,” Shultz said solemnly in his arrival statement Friday night.

Bipartisan Delegation

He will lead a bipartisan delegation of U.S. congressmen and Defense and State department officials at today’s state funeral for Zia, who was killed Wednesday along with U.S. Ambassador Arnold L. Raphel and 10 top Pakistani generals when his C-130 transport plane exploded in midair.

The American delegation was among a steady wave of foreign ministers and heads of state from 49 countries who continued to arrive through the early morning hours today to attend Zia’s rites.

As each in turn lavished praise on Zia, Islamic gravediggers spent the day preparing the Pakistani leader’s final resting place at the entrance to one of the world’s largest and most costly mosques.

Zia, who was not only a career military officer but also a devout Muslim, was viewed as a hero of the Islamic world, and every Muslim nation has sent a delegation to attend his funeral.

‘More Loved Abroad’

But as Zia’s internal political opponents sharply criticized the fallen leader as a ruthless dictator, one analyst here noted, “The irony is that President Zia was far more loved abroad than he was at home.”

Shultz, in his statement at the Islamabad airport, echoed the governments of many Western nations in praising Zia for his staunch commitment to the Afghan moujahedeen , the Muslim rebels who have been waging war against the Soviet-backed Communist government in neighboring Afghanistan for nearly nine years.

He praised Zia as “a steadfast champion of the Afghan cause,” implying that he would also use his scheduled meetings this morning with Ishaq Khan to encourage Pakistan’s new leadership to stand by Zia’s commitment to the rebels.

Under Zia, more than 3 million Afghan refugees have been given a haven in Pakistan, and the Pakistani military has been instrumental in directing a $2-billion covert CIA program to arm the moujahedeen .

In recent months, as the Soviet Union has been withdrawing its estimated 115,000 occupation troops from Afghanistan, Zia allowed the seven-party Moujahedeen Alliance to form an interim Islamic government of Afghanistan in the Pakistani border city of Peshawar.

Praise From Rebels

And, in a three-hour “emergency meeting” Friday, the rebel alliance heaped the most vocal of all praise on Zia. Calling him “a brother in arms of the Afghan moujahedeen ,” the alliance announced that “after the liberation of Kabul” it would name the Grand Mosque in the Afghan capital after Zia in gratitude for his support.

Several alliance leaders added that they plan to attend Zia’s funeral today, and sources said the Pakistani government is providing free accommodation in Islamabad for hundreds of members of the moujahedeen .

As the government’s Foreign Office frantically greeted the steady procession of world leaders Friday, the nation again was calm in its third official day of mourning.

The mosques were filled with worshipers, but religious leaders reported no apparent increase in their congregations as a result of Zia’s death, and most of the imams did not give special tributes to the fallen leader.

Although Zia at first commanded the staunch support of the country’s powerful religious leaders, most had abandoned him in recent years, charging that he was using Islam as a political tool to perpetuate his own rule.

Opposition Alliance Formed

Just two months before his death, the largest religious political party joined an opposition alliance led by Zia’s most formidable political foe, Benazir Bhutto, whose father Zia had overthrown and ordered executed.

Several religious leaders who asked not to be named said Friday that they resent the fact that Zia is being buried today in the country’s religious centerpiece, the Faisal Mosque, which cost more than $50 million and was financed by the government of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, a U.S. Air Force investigating team arrived early Friday at the site of Wednesday’s crash near the remote desert town of Bahawalpur, 62 miles from the Indian border.

The government released no new details Friday of the mysterious explosion that killed all 17 passengers and 13 crew on board Zia’s plane, fueling the rumors that have now become standard fare among Pakistan’s 100 million people since the news of the disaster broke.

Rumors Abound

The country’s largest daily newspaper, Jang, speculated Friday that a saboteur had tampered with the plane’s hydraulic system. And The Muslim, the most prestigious daily paper, ran a story headlined “Rumors Abound About Blast Cause.” It reported on a series of unattributed theories, ranging from an explosion in the cockpit to the firing of a U.S.-made Stinger missile from the ground below. The United States has supplied hundreds of Stingers to the moujahedeen , using Pakistan as the conduit.

On Thursday, Pakistan’s air force chief said the military has ruled out mechanical failure and suspects that either a missile or a bomb was responsible for the explosion.

Meanwhile, President Reagan sent a message to Ishaq Khan pledging American support for his government.

“Let us all rededicate ourselves to the task of regional peace and reconstruction to which President Zia dedicated his life,” Reagan said. “As you carry out your heavy responsibilities in his absence, please count on the United States for support.”