August 26, 1971

CRUET POLICY OF REPRESSION

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Citing what he termed as a “cruel policy of repression”, Senator Edward Kennedy today called on US President Richard Nixon to cut off all American aid to West Pakistan. Just returned from a weeklong tour of refugee camps in India, Kennedy warned, “If some mechanism is not established for cooling tempers and furnishing relief, the situation in East Bengal threatens to develop into terminal cancer for both Pakistan and Eastern India.”

He also suggested that the Nixon Administration should consider breaking diplomatic relations with Pakistan.

Asked if the refugee camps in India were worse than the Arab camps in West Asia, he said: ‘The camps in India are more depressing than I have seen, including [those] in Vietnam.”

He added that during his weeklong visit to India he saw “a scene which only can be described as the most appalling tide of human misery in modern times”. 

Kennedy also proposed major changes in the American foreign policy towards Pakistan including possible attempts to end its membership in the SEATO if the Pakistan government does not end its repression in East Bengal. He said, “We must demonstrate to the Generals of West Pakistan and to the peoples of the world that the USA has a deep and abiding revulsion of the monumental slaughter that has ravaged East Bengal.”

PAKISTAN’S COMMUNAL PROPAGANDA

In its bid to hold by-elections for national and provincial assembly seats in East Pakistan the military junta of Pakistan intensified its propaganda war against India and the Hindu community. According to them, Hindus and Hindu India were responsible for the so-called secessionist movement in East Pakistan, and Awami League members and the Mukti Bahini were the agents of India. The mass killing in Bangladesh was stated to be the result of the plots committed by the Indian agents.

The Pakistani propaganda machinery was also presenting stories in such a way that one might believe that the military administration was running smoothly in Bangladesh. Running of long route train and bus services, distribution of relief, seeds, rations, fertiliser and sanction of funds for development projects were now regular features of the propaganda machinery.

WORLD PEACE COUNCIL TEAM VISITS REFUGEE CAMPS

A two-member delegation from the World Peace Council consisting of Herbert Aptheckad of America and Italian Mousa Carlo today visited Bangladeshi refugee camps in Assam and Meghalaya. They arrived in Shillong yesterday.

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