India tells U. N. Committee Pakistan Terrorizing East
Bengalis Into Submission
U.N. HQ. Oct. 28 India yesterday accused Pakistan of planning to terrorize East Bengalis into submission, reports Reuter.
The Indian Ambassador, Mr. Samar Sen, spoke of the tragic happenings which have brought about intolerable burdens to India througn the actions of an other State (Pakistan) which now threatens us with open warfare”
Mr. Sen, speaking in the first committee’s debate on world security said recent developments in the sub-continent could not be ignored during its discussions on implementing the declaration on international security.
He rejected Pakistan’s contention that what happened in East Bengal was of no concern to India, and added: “What happens inside a State is properly its own concern, but when these events materially and substantially affect another country, this must inevitably give rise to serious questions of that State’s international responsibilities.”
He listed these events as follows: “Massive systematic violation, with the utmost brutality, of human rights and fundamental freedoms resulting in, if not motivated by a campaign of genocide.
Inundation of the territories of a neighboring State by millions of people so that the economic, social and political life can be paralysed in the country of their refuge:
Noisy and brutal threats of open warfare are held out, with all the usual military boasts and demagoguery with the hope that India could be involved or at least some doubt created in the minds of the unwary.
Mr. Sen said it was “the plan of the Government of Pakistan to wipe out systematically the East Bengal intelligentsia and terrorize, through indiscriminate and massive killings the Bengali masses into submission, as a final solution of he East Bengal problem”
STREAMS OF REFUGEES
The Indian Ambassador said there was an “unending stream of millions of East Pakistani nationals who are pouring into India” and added: “had the victim State been smaller and weaker than India, the economic and political integrity of that State could by now have been destroyed. Very few States in the world can receive over nine million refugees, with more coming every day, and still survive for six months.”
He said aggression by infringement of a State’s territorial boundary could be committed by driving millions and millions of people into that country just as much as by military action, for both threaten the very existence of the victim State.”
He said the declaration on international security was particularly emphatic in asking respect of the sovereignty of other States and noninterference in their domestic affairs.
“Is not pushing across millions into a neighbor’s territory an interference in other’s domestic affairs?”, he asked. The Government of Pakistan cannot escape responsibility for the damage being done to India, unless it wishes to claim that it has lost sovereignty over East Pakistan”.
Pakistan had threatened constantly since the beginning of its action in East Pakistan to use force against the territorial intergrity of India, he added. This was totally prohibited in the declaration.
Mr. Sen told the committee that this was to divert attention from Pakistan’s repressive measures in East Pakistan and to create the impression that India was behind the revolt.
Turning to the treaty signed recently between India and the Soviet Union, Mr. Sen said it would encourage mutual consultation and cooperation and discourage aggression and hostile designs.
“This is essentially a treaty of peace and friendship. The concern of Pakistan about this treaty fortifies us in our belief in her intentions,” he said.
Pakistani Ambassador Agha Shahi, exercising his right of reply, charged Mr. Sen with dwelling on what he called matters wholly outside the scope of the debate.
“We are, I repeat concerned here with international security,” Mr. Shahi said.
Referring to Mr. Sen’s charge that Pakistan was threatening India with war, he claimed India had not reciprocated any of the proposals put either by Pakistan or the U. N. to ease the situation between the two countries.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 28.10.1971