July 29, 1971

STRATEGY TO COUNTER GUERRILLA ATTACKS

The New York Times reported today, "the Pakistan's military Government was waiting for what it fears may be a protracted guerrilla war, in East Pakistan, and Government strategists are drawing from the writings of Mao Tse-tung and other experts in their plans."

The American daily further reported that guerrilla activity had accelerated during the last two weeks and had begun to pose a problem for the military authorities. The three divisions of troops, armour and artillery now being maintained in East Pakistan had not been able to prevent the dynamiting of power installations, bridges, roads and houses by guerrillas. It was estimated that there were 30,000 active guerrillas in the province.

As to the response of the Pakistani military regime to this development, The New York Times informed that the Pakistan government organised the new Razakar (volunteer) force on July 15 as a step toward countering guerrillas. The government said it had already recruited more than 22,000 Razakars of a planned force of 35,000.

A high-raking Pakistan army official was quoted in The New York Times as saying, "The people are definitely giving us information about the guerrillas. The people realize that the guerrilla operations are hurting the economy and that this hurts the people. If we can convert this resentment into support for us, we'll overcome the guerrilla problem."

PAKISTAN SHOULD FIRST FREE BANGABANDHU: JAPANESE MP

Japanese parliamentarian Kanichi Nishimura said in New Delhi that Pakistan should first release Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to solve the Bangladesh problem. He added that the UN secretary general should go to Pakistan and meet leaders of West Pakistan and leaders of the Awami League to find a political solution to the Bangladesh problem.

UN OBSERVERS CONSENSUS BID FAILS

Efforts to produce a consensus amongst the Security Council members to support the secretary general's move to post UN observers in Bangladesh and India failed, UN diplomatic sources informed today.

Secretary General U Thant had sent a confidential memorandum to the President of the UN Security Council Morizet of France, drawing his attention both in regard to its humanitarian aspect and political security aspects, including the guerrilla warfare, the rapidly deteriorating situation inside Bangladesh, the possibility of a famine there and also the danger of an India-Pakistan war.

SENATE BODY'S THREAT TO CUT OFF ALL ARMS AID

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee today disclosed that it had voted unanimously to cut off foreign military aid unless the Nixon administration give details of its projected military assistance programmes for the next five years.

BHUTTO HOLDS TALKS WITH YAHYA

Pakistan People's Party Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto today had a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with President Yahya Khan, which he later described as "satisfactory and fruitful." He said it would not be proper to say more at this stage as "the course of the talks may get needlessly complicated".

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