June 16, 1971

Indian Foreign Minister Sardar Swaran Singh carried to US President Richard Nixon today an urgent plea for help to achieve a political settlement in East Pakistan and enable the return of six million Bangladeshi refugees to their homes.

Nixon assured him of providing a fund of $70 million for maintenance of the refugees. As to political settlement he added, "The problem is going to go away only as the deeper causes are resolved. And I am aware of that. How we get at those deeper causes is a very sensitive problem as you well know … One way the public pressure, another way the private, shall we say persuasion. I have always believed in the latter myself as the most effective way, particularly when I know the individuals fairly well."

PRESSURE PUT ON PAKISTAN BY THREAT TO WITHDRAW AID

The West was taking an increasingly tough line with Pakistan's military government. According to extremely well-informed sources, reported the Guardian (UK), the Aid to Pakistan Consortium would almost certainly not meet in July, 1971 as planned.

This postponement, which could be several months, would amount to an effective suspension of both commodity loans and some project aid to Pakistan.

Another key official spoke of the need for an overt, credible, and obvious move towards return to civil rule. These commodity loans, which Pakistan needed to buy essential raw materials for her industries and fertiliser and pesticides for her agriculture, were the most immediately vital form of aid.

The country's usable foreign reserves were believed to have fallen to between $100 million to $200 million and were expected to drop to zero by late September, 1971 unless there were new commodity loans.

THANT APPEALS FOR AID

Secretary General U Thant appealed to the world community today for assistance to East Pakistan. He declared that improved conditions in East Pakistan would help to halt the flow of refugees crossing the border into India.

Thant made a separate appeal last month to governments for assistance to the refugees in India, now estimated to total more than six million.

In a related development, the International Rescue Committee disclosed that it would send a group to India with the aim of finding and assisting educators, writers, physicians and other professionals who had fled from East Pakistan.

Charles Sternberg, executive director of the Rescue Committee, who had been conferring with United Nations authorities, explained that the intention was to assist professionals and intellectuals with emergency funds but not resettlement.

The committee recognised that as a private group it could not possibly attempt an aid programme for the entire refugee population and so decided to concentrate on the professional groups, he said.

BANGLADESH REFUGEE FLOW INCREASES AGAIN

The number of refugees arriving in India daily was increasing after a relative lull, a senior Indian government official said today.

The reduced flow of new arrivals from June 5 to June 12 ended, and the government had indications that huge numbers of Bangladeshis were still traveling towards the Indian border. 

Indian government figures showed that an average of more than 100,000 refugees had crossed the border each day since May 7, 1971. There were now almost six million Bangladeshis in India.

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