The screw is on again
YES, President Nixon has put the screw on again. He has lost on time to let his Administration announce stoppage of economic aid for India which comes hard on the heels of the ban of sale of spare parts for radar and other defence equipment. Lest New Delhi, in its obtuseness, fail to realize that the U.S.A. disapproves of the counter-blows its ally and protege, Pakistan has had at India’s hand, the Administration has disturbed what’s the word, parity or balance-Pakistan will by contract continue to receive American aid, Perhaps Pakistan can carry on a development programme even in conditions of war-a test: India presumably could not pass and was thus disqualified for further aid. “What is sauce for the goose is evidently not sauce for the gander. Anyway the partisan of peace that the Nixon Administration has turned out to be, thanks to its recent contacts with Peking, must make sure that “It is not making a contribution to the Indian economy to make it casier for the Indian Government to sustain its military effort.” A similar question doesn’t arise in the case of Pakistan which is a victim of a foul conspiracy between New Delhi and the Awami League, as Washington’s new-found friend Peking has discovered.
Let Washington know no amount of brow-beating will deter New Delhi from defending itself and its interests. It had waited long enough for the partisans of peace to persuade Pakistan to see reason, to stop genocide in Bangladesh, to come to a political settlement with the party that had won a landslide victory, the like of which has not been seen before and to restore conditions for the 10 million refugees who had become a $900 million burden for India to return to their homeland. These friends and patrons have done just the reverse. They have gone on pampering the military junta ruling the roast in Islamabad. America went on supplying spare parts for lethal weapons and Peking which had no prectence of maintaining parity on the sub-continent keeps on supplying arms and ammunition to the Pakistani war machine. The result has not been unexpected. It tried to do an Israel, on India and made a preempitve air attack on the acrodromes in Western India. If the junta is now in a mess it has to thank itself and those who egged it on. Washington and Peking can’t afford to leave Islamabad to its fate. They must somehow or other bale it out. Stoppage of aid is part of this grand rescue operation. (Editorial}
Reference: Hindustan Standard 09.12.971