June 10, 1971

The Pakistani Government offered today a general amnesty extending to military deserters and politicians and asked refugees to return home.

The offer, issued in Dhaka by Lieutenant General Tikka Khan, military governor of East Pakistan, omitted an earlier government statement that returning refugees would be carefully screened for "anti-state elements."

"It is an amnesty," Radio Pakistan said, "to all classes of people, such as students, labourers, businessmen, industrialists, civil servants, the armed forces and other law enforcement agencies, political workers and leaders, who are welcome to come back."

It said reception centers had been set up along major routes in East Pakistan near the Indian border to receive returning refugees and provide food, accommodation, medical assistance and transportation to their homes.

"When they come," the government announcement said, "they will realise the falsehood of the propaganda of enemies of the state."

It said business, agriculture, industry, schools and communications in East Pakistan were back to normal and that adequate food stocks were on hand.

REFUGEE FLOW CONTINUES

Bangladeshi refugees continued moving into the troubled Indian town of Barasat as five foreign planeloads of medical supplies reached Calcutta to help fight the cholera epidemic.

Reserve policemen were called in on June 8, 1971, to prevent Hindu-Muslim rioting from breaking out in Barasat, normally a town of 90,000 that is now flooded with more than 200,000 refugees. Some of the refugees had tried to set up camp in Muslim mosques.

GUERILLAS BLAST GRENADES IN DHAKA

Guerilla fighters of Bangladesh Mukti Fauj continued to attack various installations in Dhaka. They blasted grenades at New Market and WAPDA office today. The shops in the market and the office were closed down following the attack.

PAKISTAN GETS GRANT FROM THE US

The United States today granted Pakistan $1 million in foreign exchange to pay for relief work in areas of East Pakistan affected by 1970's cyclone.

UNICEF ISSUES APPEAL

The head of the United Nations Children's Fund made a worldwide plea on June 9, 1971 for immediate assistance to refugees from East Pakistan. The appeal by Henry R Labouisse, UNICEF director, was twofold: for continued emergency aid such as drugs and foodstuffs now being supplied by UNICEF and for long-term assistance for the two million children living in the crowded refugee camps in northeastern India.

At least $5-million would be needed initially for this programme, Labouisse advised the UNICEF committees in 27 countries. These committees used to raise funds from individuals, organisations and other non-governmental sources.

INDIA WARNS CHOLERA COULD BE SPREADING

A senior Indian health ministry official warned today that if proper precautions are not taken the cholera epidemic now rampant among East Pakistani refugees in West Bengal could spread throughout India. Ministry Secretary KK Das described the situation along India's border with East Pakistan as serious, and said every one within a five-mile radius of all refugee camps and other known cholera centres was being inoculated against the disease.

He told newsmen that so far, an estimated 5,000 people had died in the epidemic.

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