PAKISTAN CRISIS ‘World aid pitiable’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 11

PAKISTAN CRISIS ‘World aid pitiable’

1N.1.r. A. -Reuter—Copyright)

NEW DELHI, June 16.

The Indian Prime Minister (Mrs Gandhi) said today that her country may have to “pass through hell” because of the influx of nearly six million East Pakistani refugees, but, she told Parliament, the entire international community would also suffer the consequences of the developments growing out of the civil strife in East Pakistan.

We are not going to “allow th* international community to get away with what is happening in thia part of the world,” Mrs Gandhi said in an angry and emo. tional 20-minute speech, after having listened to three hours of criticism of her Government’* foreign policy.

“They may give aid, or they may not,” she said. “But they will certainly suffer the consequences of the happenings in Bangla Desh,’ The Prime Minister did not say what those consequences might be, but she has said previously that the millions of refugees in India have created a threat to peace in the region. "The influx st refugees will hurt us economically and in various other ways," Mrs Gandhi told the House. “We may have to pass through hell, but I have confidence in the great qualities of our people, who can face the situation.” As she has done repeatedly since the refugee-influx gained momentum early in April, Mrs Gandhi said that she deplored the attitude of other nations towards the refugee problem, and described their assistance so far as pitiable. “I want to know if any country has faced one-tenth of the problem we are facing today,” she said. “If 10,000 refugees cross borders in Europe, the entire Continent takes it up—the press takes it up, and so on. “But here, nearly six million refugees have crossed the borders in a tew weeks —and ours is a poor country in which there is a shortage of every possible thing the refugees need. Tarpaulins and so on.

“The help so far received if pitiable, only one-tenth of what is required.”

The Minister of Rehabilitation (Mr R. K. Khadilkar) had told Parliament just before Mrs Gandhi spoke that the total refugee aid pledged so far from the world community was SUS4Om; and that up to last Saturday, there were 5,767,172 refugees, of whom 4,359,418 were in the alreadyovercrowded state of West

lengal. Mrs Gandhi, who said that

with each passing day the possibility of a political settlement in East Pakistan became more remote, emphasised that Indi* intended to look after the refugees only on a temporary basis, but she demonstrated her conviction that conditions in East Pakistan were grim when she declared: “We have no intention of allowing them to settle here, but neither have we any intention of asking them to go back merely to be butchered.

“The so-called reception centres which the West Pakistan Government claims to have set up in Bangla Desh have not resulted in any of the refugee* going back.

“About 2000 have gone back to East Pakistan for reasons which have nothing to do with th* quality of th* Indian refuge* camps.” On Monday, officials of the Indian border territory of Meghalya who said that about 6000 people had died in a gastroenteritis epidemic, added that about 3000 refugees had crossed back into East Pakistan to avoid the disease. “We are sure these Pakistanis will return when the epidemic subeid**,” they said.

Prince Sadruddin, who visited several refugee camps, was asked if he thought the refugees in India could return to East Pakistan. He replied that he did not see why they should not in time.

But Mrs Gandhi dismissed any suggestion that President Yahya could figure in an eventual East Pakistan settlement.

“Any political settlement must be arrived at with those people who are today being suppressed,” she said. India will not acquiesce in a settlement that would mean the death of Bangla Desh and the ending of democracy and of th* people who are fighting for their rights.” Observers in Calcutta say that the mild comments by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Prince Sadruddin Aja Khan) on the refugees situation, his apparent optimism about that in East Pakistan, and his statement of belief in President Yahya's good faith, are almost certain to provoke an uproar In India.