MILITARY TERROR NOT TO SOLVE PROBLEM
NEW DELHI,- Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Monday accused Pakistan of thretening the peace of the region by its “millitry terror” in East Bengal.
She stressed that no military solution was reached in the crisis in East Pakistan, and said that unless the flood of refugees was stopped there would be no stablity in the area.
Addressing the Lower House of Parliament, the Premier said more than three and a half million East Bengalis had crossed into India, creating an “intolerable situation”. She said they were still crossing the border at the rate of 60,000 a day adding “so massive a migration in so short a time has rarely happened in history”.
India, she warned, would take all measures to preserve her safety, and she said Pakistan was making India a scapegoat for her own “misdeeds”.
The Premier estimated that over the next six months India would be forced to spend 1080 million rupees (about 144 million dollars) to provide food shelters and medical aid for the refugees.
Walk-out protest
Ealier, 50 rightwing opposition members of Parliament walked out of a tense Lower House after the speaker refused to allow a motion censuring the Government’s failure to grant “East Bengal independent government”. It also called for more drastic action to deal with the influx of refugees.
The walk out was led by the rightwing Hindu Jana Sangh Party, and supported by the Opposition Congress and the Tamil Party. A similar walk out was staged in the Upper House by members of the Marxist Party and the Samyukta Socialist Party.
Opposition members in both houses strongly criticised the Government for its failure to deal with the “blatant military provocations” by Pakistani forces on the border with India.
Warned by Pakistani High Commissioner Sajiad Hyder, in the visitor’s gallery, Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram told the Lower House that Indian forces on the border had been instructed to take proper action against any Pakistani violation of Indian territory.
Foreign Minister Swaran Singh said that an estimated 38 Indians had been killed, injured and 14 kidnapped by the Pakistani Army since military operations in East Bengal began on March 25.
On the question of recognition of the secessionist Government in East Bengal he said the Government was watching the situation, and would take a decision when necessary in the national interest.
Earlier, police detained about 200 supporters of Jana Sangh demonstrationg outside the Parliament building. Mounted Police also dispersed demonstrators trying to force their way in. The demonstrators had earlier attended a rally during which several MP’s had denounced the Government for ignoring the “suffering of the East Bengali people”.-AFP.
Reference : The Djakarta Times, 26.05.1971