Senate body votes for ban on all aid to Pindi
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15.-Trimming millions of dollars in across-theboard cuts from President Nixon’s foreign aid requests, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed yesterday to end all assistance to Pakistan, report agencies.
The committee voted to ban all forms of foreign aid to Pakistan until the President informed Congress that the situation in East Bengal was reasonably stable and refugees were allowed to return, Senator Frank Church told reporters.
He said the language was stronger than that of the resolution approved by the House of Representatives in August.
He said the stricter Senate version closed down aid of every kindmilitary, economic, grants, loans and sales.
He said the cut-off would apply also to aid now in the pipeline to Pakistan as well as that scheduled for the future.
The Nixon Administration had requested $225 million in aid for Pakistan.
The State Department Press Officer, Mr. McCloskey, meanwhile, said the USA would not mediate in the dispute between East Bengal and West Pakistan, or between Pakistan and India.
He said there was no basis whatever to compare the US role in South Asia with the role it played in West Asia.
The USA, he said, had not offered its good offices to any side.
“We are doing this,” Mr. McCloskey explained, “in consultation with both governments (Pakistan and India), We are urging them to prevent the deterioration of the situation. We are concerned over the build-up of forces in the border area.”
As for the East Bengal problem, “we have urged political reconsideration,” he said.
Asked specifically whether President Yahya Khan had asked the USA to mediate, Mr. McCloskey replied, “I am not aware of that.”
Asked whether there is a danger of war between India and Pakistan, he replied. “I hope that no such situation will arise,” but added that keeping the peace would “require some goodwill and restraint on both sides.”
All Dutch aid to Pakistan had been suspended since the end of the last month and no new loans had been concluded since June this year, the Dutch Prime Minister announced in Parliament yesterday.
Reporting this Radio Netherlands said a large number of MPs urged that all aid should be suspended so long as Pakistan was not treating East Bengalis in a democratic way.
The Prime Minister said Holland was ready to make more aid available for the people of East Bengal and the millions of refugees in India.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 16.10.1971