PM rules out talks with Yahya
From Four Special Correspondent, New Delhi. Oct. 19.—The Prime Minister has ruled out any dialogue with President Yahya Khan on the Bangladesh issue. There is no scope for such a dialogue, she announced at a crowded Press conference here today.
To solve the problem. Gen. Yahya Khan must talk not with India, but with the elected representatives of Bangladesh, Mrs. Gandhi said.
She declared that India would not withdraw her troops from the defensive positions taken in view of Pakistan’s bellicose attitude and concentration of troops along the Indian borders.
The Bangladesh question and Pakistan’s war-like posture dominated the news conference. Mrs. Gandhi’s answers were forthright and newsmen were on the defensive most of the time.
Reiterating the Indian position, she said India would not provoke a war with Pakistan or take any aggressive measure. But all steps would be taken to safeguard India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Wul India withdraw her troops accepting President Yahya Khan’s offer for withdrawal?
Mrs. Gandhi said the situation should not be looked in an isolated manner, Pakistan had brought her troops very close to the borders, but India had not done so. Pakistan had launched a hate-India, crush-India campaign and called for a “jehad” against India inciting religious feelings.
The issue was not so simple. Pakistan had been escalating the situation and “you cannot ignor the situation and just pull out your troops”, she said.
Asked if she was ready to have a dialogue with Gen. Yahya Khan as desired by him in an interview with a representative of the Paris newspaper Le Monde yesterday), Mrs. Gandhi said she was prepared to meet anybody anywhere if “it will solve any problem.” But you cannot shake hands with a clenched fists.”
The problem was between Pakistan and Bangladesh, India had only the side-effects. She had to bear the burden of nine million refugees.
Pakistan must solve the problem in accordance with the wishes of the already elected representatives of Bangladesh, even if independence was to be the basis of a solution, this must be a matter between them and not with India. Mrs. Gandhi said.
She said the elections held last year in Pakistan had been free and fair and the verdict of the electorate should be honoured.
The Prime Minister said the situation created by Pakistan was “grave,” but India was, doing her best to avoid a war. “No country wants a war, but India must defend her borders and territorial integrity.” She said the country could depend on her people and the Indian defence services.
Pakistan had been giving verbal threats to India and hence, India was obliged to adopt defensive measures for her national interests, she said.
Answering questions on the poshting of UN representative Bangladesh to India. The refugee camps in India were open to them and India had nothing to hide. They had also visited many of the camps as had been done by parliamentarians from various countries.
The fact that even now about 40,000 refugees were daily coming to India was in itself a pointer that atrocities were still continuing in Bangladesh. Therefore, Mrs. Gandhi argued, if the UN must do anything, it must see that conditions were created in Bangladesh for the return of the refugees in security, honour and dignity. After that they could take up the question of posting U.N. representatives in India.
It was ridiculous to say that India had been preventing the refugees from going back to Bangladesh. Why should India do so? India was already under a heavy financial burden to look after the refugees. “But when 40,000 fresh refugees are coming from Bangladesh every day, how could the refugees go back? Mrs. Gandhi asked. Conditions were obviously still not secure there.
She reiterated that the sooner the refugees went back the better it would be for the sub-continent. India could not settle them permanently in this country and they would have to go back, she said.
Refferring to the Mukti Bahini, the Prime Minister said: “They may not be as strong as the Pak Army. But in their hearts burn the flames of patriotism and freedom. History says these forces may suffer setbacks, but they always win.”
Agencies add: Asked if the great powers could help bring about a settlement between India and Pakistan, Mrs. Gandhi said: “They could help solve the problem of Bangladesh.”
Asked about her assessment of prospects of a war with Pakistan, Mrs. Gandhi said nobody could prophesy such a thing.
Replying to a question whether she agreed with the four preconditions placed by representatives of Bangladesh for a political solution, Mrs. Gandhi said: “It is their problem. There is no use my commenting on what they may or do not say.”
Asked what precise solution the Government had in mind, Mrs. Gandhi remarked: “I don’t think these things could be spelled out at a Press conference.”
India had all along maintained the position that all problems between the two countries could be discussed and a stable solution found by negotiations. This did not, however, include Bangladesh which was not an India-Pakistan problemi But there were many other bilateral questions which had been pending since the 1965 conflict.
Asked whether any Big Power had offered to mediate, Mrs. Gandhi said liberation struggle was going on in Bangladesh. Hence what was the point in mediating with India. That problem had to be solved with them (people of Bangladesh).
Reference: Hindustan Standard 20.10.1971