A HUMANITARIAN POINT
It does not involve any violation or negation or contradiction of neutrality and nonalignment to say that when people are in need, such as those who have fled to India from East Pakistan since the past few weeks are in today, one must come forward with whatever help one can extend.
As Press reports say, millions of people have trekked into India from East Pakistan. Leaving behind their belongings, they are refugees encamped at various points along the Indo-East Pakistan border. Naturally this is not a happy living for them. Recently, news reports have been appearing that at various such camps diseases like cholera, and gastroenteritis have broken out, taking a heavy toll of human lives. Things like these are not abnormal when such a heavy influx of people takes place. India, it must be noted, has been doing her best to help these people but it is obvious that it is a burden which India alone cannot be expected to shoulder. Neither are these refugees only India’s responsibility. The international community has therefore to come forward with whatever help it can provide these people in trouble.
Islamabad’s feelings in regard to this problem, which is associated with the East Pakistan affair, can be understood. But whatever the state of relations between India and Pakistan may be today, it is incomprehensible on the part of Islamabad to contend that these refugees were encourage by India to come in. It is just not understandable why any country, including India, should willingly invite such burdens. Likewise, it is only too obvious that when people started fleeing East Pakistan the only place they could go to was India. Geography has its own compulsions which cannot be obliterated by polemics and even politics. India therefore cannot be blamed for the refugees burden she has come to bear in this manner, although it is obvious that she has no soft feeling for Islamabad. Indeed, she has begun to express her concern and seek aid for these refugees. This aid has begun to trikle in. For the moment, extending help is the only task facing the international community. But if this problem is not to lead to further complications, it shall have to be seen, even in the interest of Pakistan, that these millions go back to the places from where they came. We need not point out how refugee problems have been hampering settlements and peace in vaious parts of the world.
Reference : The Commoner, 01.06.1971