Russian aid for Bangla Desh

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32803, 31 December 1971, Page 13

Russian aid for Bangla Desh

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright)

DACCA, December 30.

The Soviet Union and Bangla Desh today announced plans to draw up a trade treaty and begin arrangements for Russian engineers and technicians to help to rebuild the war-shattered country.

Plans to draft the pact as quickly as possible were announced after talks between the head of the Soviet Union trade union (Mr V. V. Zverb) the Bangla Desh Minister of Finance (Mr Mansoor Ali) and the Minister of Home Affairs (Mr A. H. K amaruzzaman).

The Bangla Desh Government says that it wants cotton and electrical equipment as much as the cash and the technical advice necessary to rebuild agricultural and industrial production, which Mr Ali says, is “threadbare,” Special arrangements are being made to bring in Russian experts and their families to resume work on projects begun before the war, and to help in economic development. Mr Zvreb has said that the Soviet Union can supply cotton for the Bangla Desh textile mills, and is drafting a proposal for reconstruction of the jute industry, the

country's largest earner of [foreign exchange. Mr Ali has been invited by Mr Zvreb to visit Moscow for financial and trade talks. Political cracks Robert Kaylor, of United Press International, reports

from New Delhi that observers there believe that political squabbling and in-fighting have already begun to crack

the veneer of Bengali unity in the process of trying to build the nation of Bangla Desh from the war-shattered ruins of East Pakistan. While the cracks are not yet unbridgeable, some political sources feel that without the strong hand of the I Awarni League leader, Sheikh I Mujibur Rahman, to guide the; Government, they will widen; and lead to political chaos. ;

Pakistan’s new President (Mr Bhutto), is under pres-1 sure to release Sheikh Mujibur, both from India—which holds more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary troops as prisoners of war—and from the international community. Diplomatic and political sources in New Delhi feel that the pressure on Mr Bhutto will eventually lead to Sheikh Mujibur’s release, but that in the meantime every day of delay will give the divisive forces within East Bengal more time to do their work.

Personal loyalty

The men who are now leading the Bangla Desh GovemIment—the acting President (Mr Syed Nazrul Islam) and I the Prime Minister (Mr Tajuddin Ahmed) do not pos- ! sess the kind of political weight that enabled Sheikh I Mujibur to unite the Bengalis as never before and to win a moral victory of 167 out of 169 seats in elections for a National Assembly that was not allowed by President Yahya Khan to meet. Sheikh Mujibur was also able to evoke the undying personal loyalty of the people and members of his Awami League alike. Neither Mr Nzarul, Mr Tajuddin nor any other member of the present Government has been able to do so, although they all come from the senior ranks of the Awami League. Political sources say that a group of the Awami League National Assembly members were seeking to present a noconfidence resolution against Mr Tajuddin even while the civil war was still beingi fought, but were dissuaded in I the cause of the Bangla Desh! “liberation” struggle. Now that independence has been won for them by the Indian Army, and the Government installed, these mem|bers are ready again to try |to undermine the Prime Minister.

Within the Cabinet, too, there are reported to be the beginnings of a power struggle, according to reports from Dacca, and the Bangla Desh Government also faces threats from formerly proAwami League student groups who joined the guerrilla effort and are now caching weapons instead of turning them in to the authorities, and from other organised Mukti Bahini “freedom fighters,” There are reports that the commander of the! Mukti Bahini and members of his staff resigned last week in a dispute over the future role of the "freedom fighters.”

The Government’s announcement that a militia would be formed was seen as a move to placate the “freedom fighters” and prevent their opposing the Cabinet.