THE INDONESIAN OBSERVER, (JAKARTA), OCTOBER 7, 1971
Editorial
A HARD PRESSED REGIME
Time is fast running out for Pakistan’s military regime under General Yahya Khan as the combined’ forces of public opinion in the world as well as within the country itself exert great pressure for political economic reforms. Yahya Khan’s desperate attempt to avert his country’s total bankruptcy by announcing general amnesty and the replacement of East Pakistan’s military governor by a civilian has not aroused the least interest among the 9 million refugees from East Pakistan in India. The Pakistan President has not touched the essential core of the problem in promising a lenient attitude towards the refugees. He did not mention about the future legislature of Pakistan as result of the general elections of last December in which the Awami League achieved an overwhelming victory.
Overlooking this problem will not bring the crisis in Pakistan an inch closer to solution. Meanwhile, as the days wear on without a clear Political solution in sight, Pakistan’s plight becomes the more unbearable. With the specter of financial bankruptcy looming ahead and the economy in shambles, even the most optimistic Supporters of Yahya Khan’s regime would not dare to predict how much longer it will last.
Pakistan’s effort to arouse sympathy for her position by way of exaggerating India’s role in supporting the Bangladesh idea bas also failed to hoodwink the world towards the developments in East Pakistan. Sooner or later President Yahya mush take a clear-cut stand on the problem of East Pakistan and its connection with the general election. The sooner he does so, the better for the country because only then it win be able to draft concrete plans for recovery.