Recognition request

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32804, 3 January 1972, Page 10

Recognition request

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, January 2. Bangla Desh’s roving ambassador (Mr Khurrum Khan Panni) has met an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put his country’s request for formal recognition.

The envoy of the newlyindependent State, formerly East Pakistan, arrived in Wellington at very short notice on Saturday to find the country on holiday. The secretary of Foreign Affairs (Mr G. R. Laking) said that Mr Panni met the acting head of the Ministry’s Asian Division (Mr I. A. Buckingham) last night. There were no plans for anyone of higher rank to meet him.

Mr Buckingham accepted Mr Panni’s memorandum and assured him that his request would be put to the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake). Mr Panni will not meet Sir Keith Holyoake who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is on holiday at Taupo, and there are no plans to interrupt the holiday. Mr Panni’s mission is to lay before the New Zealand Government a triple request: Formal recognition of Bangla Desh and eventual exchange of representation. Assurance that the status of Bangla Desh nationals holding Pakistan passports will not be disturbed because of the passports. Aid and trade, on which he said, he would be making no specific requests.

Mr Panni talked optimistically of the economic future for Bangla Desh. In the last five years, Bangla Desh had provided more than 56 per cent of Pakistan’s exports but received only 20 per cent of its imports. Thus there would be a foreign exchange surplus after independence.

After the reconstruction, it would be “potentially a very viable state,” and with modern agricultural methods it could become gradually selfsufficient in food.

Mr Panni said the response from other countries he had

visited in his quest for recognition had been encouraging. “SYMPAHTY IN N.Z.” In New Zealand, he had detected sympathy for his country. “Every New Zealander has been extremely sympathetic,” he said. “The press, of course; but apart from the press, in the general response to the brutalities and the refugee issue I think your country has been very sympathetic.

“Your Prime Minister has written letters to President Yahya (Yahya Khan, the former President of, Pakistan) asking for a settlement, which have remained unanswered.” Mr Panni said he had been given copies of the letters and had sent them to his Government.

Mr Buckingham said later that a formal request for the recognition of Bangla Desh had been submitted.