June 4, 1971

Pakistan and the United Nations agreed on relief operations for victims of the war in East Pakistan, a UN spokesman announced today.

The agreement was reached following a meeting yesterday between Pakistan President Gen Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan and Ismat Kittani, UN assistant secretary-general for interagency affairs.

Talks between the two apparently overcame Yahya's insistence that international assistance should be administered by Pakistani relief agencies.

No details were available, but the spokesman said Egypt's Baghat Tawil, assistant director of the UN Office of Technical Cooperation in New York, had been named to coordinate the UN programme.

BID TO DISSIDENTS

The Government of Pakistan appeared to be trying to bring some former leading members of the Awami League back into the national fold.

Jang, the nation's largest newspaper, reported today that moves were underway to form a new party that would include these members but would be opposed to separatism.

The government appeared to be focusing its efforts on the League's bloc of representatives elected last December to the National Assembly, which was to have met March 3 to begin drafting a constitution to return Pakistan to civilian rule.

Jang said a former Awami League politician, Begum Akthar Sulaiman, had obtained the signatures of 109 former league representatives in national and provincial assemblies in support of the proposed party.

Begum Akhtar Sulaiman is the daughter of the late Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, one of the founders of the Awami League. She was quoted today as having said that her father would never have approved of the separatist programme adopted by the League under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She said the new party would be headed by Zahir Uddin, a former national education minister. Begum Akhtar Sulaiman had visited East Pakistan twice in the last two months, and had conferred with President Yahya.

PAKISTAN ADMITS DESERTIONS FROM EBR, EPR

Pakistan today admitted "mass desertions" of serving personnel from East Bengal Regiment, East Pakistan Rifles and the police. Quoting an official announcement in Dhaka, Radio Pakistan said "compassionate treatment" would be given to those who voluntarily surrendered to the military authorities with our without their weapons. 

MALNUTRITION ADDING TO CHOLERA TOLL

The Indian government said today that malnutrition, as well as cholera, was taking a heavy toll of lives among 4.7 million East Pakistani refugees in eastern India.

Health Minister Uma Shanker Dixit told parliament that most of the refugees were "arriving in a condition of exhaustion caused by malnutrition".

He said it appeared the refugees had brought the cholera with them.

GUERILLA FIGHT NEAR SHALDA RIVER

Freedom fighters today conducted a successful guerilla operation at Bagra Bazar near Shalda River. They attacked a nearby Pakistan army camp where the soldiers were caught unawares. Seventeen Pakistani soldiers were killed in the operation.

In another operation in Cumilla, freedom fighters today blew off a road bridge and a rail bridge. 

Shamsuddoza Sajen is a journalist and researcher. He can be contacted at sajen1986@gmail.com