STOP BLOODSHED, REPRESSION PODGORANY TELLS YAHYA Russia raps Pakistan
MOSCOW, Sunday
THE Soviet Union stepped into the East Pakistan crisis today with a strongly-worded message to President Yahya Khan calling for an end to bloodshed in the Eastern region.
President Nikolai Podgorny said that “extreme measures” used against the population in East Pakistan had “met with great alarm in the Soviet Union.”
He called for urgent measures to “stop the bloodshed and repression against the population in East Pakistan and for turning to methods of a peaceful political settlement.”
First Intervention The Soviet message amounted to the first big power intervention in the week-long East Pakistan situation.
Official Radio Pakistan claimed that the situation had returned to normal in the Eastern region, but Indian press and radio reports said fighting is going on between West Pakistani troops and supporters of East Pakistan leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Relations between Russia and Pakistan have been close. President Yahya paid a five-day official vsit to Moscow in July last year and had talks with Presidant Podgorny and Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin.
A communique issued after the visit said Russia would help Pakistan to build a steelworks in Karachi and Soviet experts would study a number of other projects for Pakistan.
Pressure
Soviet aid to Pakistan since 1961 has amounted to a commitment of US$175 million.
In CALCULTTA, reliable reports today said East Pakistan’s independence forces, short of arms and fuel, have kept cat-and-mouse pressure on West Pakistani garrisons while training and organising themselves.
Newsmen from wide areas of the neighbouring province said roads were cut and occasional Pakistani army patrols were harassed and unsafe to move at will….
Reference : Straits Times, 05.04.1971