April 28, 1971

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed today appealed to neighbouring countries to grant immediate recognition to Bangladesh and to give unconditional arms aid and thus help a newborn country free itself from the clutches of a murderous army.

In a message to the nation, broadcast over the Free Bangladesh Radio, the prime minister urged the countrymen to drive away the invaders "who are causing bloodshed on our soil by the weapons purchased from the exploited money of our own countrymen".

He said that Rangpur, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Bogra and Mymensingh (except cantonment areas) had been liberated from the West Pakistan army and expressed confidence that the remaining areas would come under the Bangladesh government shortly.

He also appealed to Bangalees residing in foreign countries to give all possible help to the freedom struggle

A DIPLOMATIC TIGHTROPE FOR INDIA

The Indians, with strong sympathies for the month-old Bangalee independence struggle in East Pakistan, were trying to keep their balance on a diplomatic tightrope, buffeted by a heavy wind, reported New York Times.  It added that despite its denunciations of the Pakistani army's offensive against the independence movement, New Delhi had so far refrained from recognising the new government of Bangladesh.

New York Times highlighted two basic reasons for this restraint: one was the desire to avoid having another war with Pakistan, although India's military strength is superior and independent observers believe India would quickly win such a war. The other reason, perhaps the more important at this stage, was the concern that recognition of Bangladesh now might tend to substantiate, in the eyes of the world, the Pakistani charge that this had been at the bottom of the Indian-Pakistani dispute and that the Bangalee insurgents were essentially Indian puppets.

Indian officials, the report disclosed, recognised privately that merely to sit back and wait to see what happens in the civil war could be a self-fulfilling negative strategy. Without some significant help now, the Bangalee struggle, although not likely to crumble, would take much longer to achieve significant results and in the process might turn away from its moderate leadership and become a militant leftist insurgency, commented New York Times. 

UN HELP DEPENDS ON PAKISTAN: THANT

The UN Secretary General U Thant told reporters today that he had been in constant touch with the Pakistani government about how the UN or its specialised agencies could help alleviate human suffering in Bangladesh. He added that any UN help depended on the Pakistani government. Samar Sen, the Indian ambassador to the UN, today met the US Ambassador George Bush and discussed the situation in Bangladesh.

200 BANGLADESHI TEACHERS REGISTER NAMES

About 200 teachers from universities and colleges in Bangladesh had already registered their names with Calcutta University Bangladesh Sahayak Samiti which was trying to get these teachers employed in institutions in West Bengal.

A spokesman of the Samity informed that the teachers included quite a few from Dhaka and Rajshahi Universities. The Samity requested the teachers who had already come over from Bangladesh to send their names, list of dependents, qualifications and areas that would suit them, if employed.

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