YAHYA CALLS FOR RETURN OF E. PAKS
Karachi, May 21 (AP)-PRESIDENT General Yahya Khan of Pakistan Friday night asked “bonafide Pakistani citizens who left their homes due to disturbed conditions and not other reasons to return to East Pakistan where law and order has been restored and life is returning fast to normal.”
In a statement released to the press in Karachi Yahya urged them not to be misled by false propaganda mounted by anti-state elements and return to carry on their normal function. There is no question of withholding permission to the return of law abiding citizens of Pakistan to their respective lomes.”
Yahya complained, however, that “The government of India has been circulating highly exaggerated and distorted account of events which led to these border crossing in the number of such persons who crossed into India from East Pakistan has been inflated by adding to the unemployed and homeless of the West Bengal Indian state. It is most regretable that instead of treating the quesion of genuine refugees on a humanitarian basis a callous campaign has been launched by India to exploit the issue for political purposes.”
Reference : The Indonesian Observer, 22.05.1971