March on Pak cities, no pullout if war : Ram
JULLUNDUR, Oct. 17-The Defence Minister Mr. Ram, today said that any war with Pakistan would be fought on her soil and India would not vacate territories occupied during the conflict, say agencies.
Speaking at a public meeting here, Mr. Ram declared. “We shall go right up to Lahore and Sialkot and shall not come back whatever be the consequences.”
Also addressing a political conference earlier at Kapurthala, 20 km from here, the Defence Minister referred to Press reports that the people were moving out of Sialkot and Lahore and said, “If war is thrust on us by the Pakistan military junta, our forces will march forward and occupy the cities and this time we will not withdraw from the occupied Pakistan territory come what may” and “India will not submit to world pressure in this regard.”
Mr. Ram said India would not withdraw its forces from its frontiers as long as the Bangladesh problem remained unsolved.
He assured the country that the forces were alert to effectively answer any evil eye on Indian borders.
The situation in Bangladesh, the Minister, said, was slowly turning in favour of the Mukti Bahini. Guerillas had tied up 80,000 Pakistani troops there and if this progress was maintained, the time was not far off when Bangladesh would be free soon. It was under these conditions that Yahya Khan had started giving threats of war to India.
“We are fully prepared to meet such threats even though we know barking dogs seldom bite”, he said.
Mr. Ram said almost half of Pakistan was already finished. India might not be required to fight. Yahya Khan had started realising that the Mukti Bahini had the supper hand in Bangladesh and world opinion was graduall turning against Pakistan. “One more blow” was need by the Mukti Bahini to free Bangladesh.
He said, he would ask not villagers near the border to withdraw from there as he knew that they were in high spirits and were bold enough to face any eventuality.
Meanwhile, a report from Jammu says: Strict vigil is being kept in the Jammu border areas in view of the heavy concentration of Pakistani troops along the international border and the cease-fire line.
The civil defence has been strengthened in the forward areas.
The State’s Inspector General of Police and the Chief Secretary rushed Jammu today from Srinagar to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
They held a meeting of the local officers at Jammu and later left for the border district of Rajouri.
According to official reports, the civilian population and the Border Security men are in high spirits in Rajouri District.
The State’s Agriculture Minister, Mr. Trilochan Datt, also undertook an extensive tour of the Chhamb ceasefire line area yesterday.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 18.10.1971