LE MONDE, PARIS, APRIL 9, 1971
PREMEDITATED BRUTALITY
“Pakistan has clearly entered into a period of civil war which is likely to be long. Far from looking for a compromise, even one which would be favorable to the Central Government, with the Bengali autonomists, Yahya Khan is stepping up the repression which has now reached such a degree of brutality that one wonders if it was not premeditated.
“But Yahya Khan’s plans have been frustrated. True, the intervention of the Army bas restored some semblance of calm-for how long? in Dacca Following the pattern which has occurred elsewhere, the resistance, of the repressed population will become stronger. The rift between the antagonists will broaden, making reconciliation even more difficult. The situation looks even more serious because one man who sufficient prestige to be a valid partner in the negotiations-Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-has disappeared.”