India bewildered over US arms supply
NEW DELHI July, 10.-The Government of India appears to be bewildered over the continued supply of American arms to Pakistan, even after a series of Highlevel contacts and exchanges of views between the two countries, says UNI.
According to informed sources, the quantitative dimensions or the total value of the supplies which are said to be still in the pipeline have not been so far intimated by the US Government to the Indian authorities.
It is presumed, the supplies might well exceed the figure of $35,000,000 mentioned by the Senator, Frank Church, in Washington yesterday.
During Mr. Swaran Singh’s discussions with US Secretary of State Mr. Rogers, Mr. Singh is understood to have raised the question of
pipeline supplies” specifically. But he was told that there had been no such supplies.
After the disclosures made by the New York Times, the Government confornted the US authorities with these revelations and sought their clarification about them. Their reply was that the shipments had taken place because of lack of co-ordination between the State and defence departments.
India was promising at Washington and in New Delhi that there were no more supplies in the pipeline and again told that no supplies had been authorised after March 25.
Recently, as reports of further shipments of arms from the US to Pakistan came in the matter as taken up. The US Administration is reportedly giving unconvincing explanations, one department shifting the blame to another some even to the White House itself. Non is connital about the pre-March 25 agreements for arms supply.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bhanu Prakash Singh, a former Deputy Minister of the Union Government, said yesterday that he had definite information that the Soviet Union had recently supplied “a significant quantity of spares” to Pakistan which has reached it after March 25.
Referring to the Soviet Embassy’s denial of any supply of arms during 1970-71, Mr. Singh said no distinction could be drawn between “arms and spares.”
He also said that the Soviet Union was treating Bangladesh issued as an internal affairs of Pakistan. This statement was made by none other than the Pakistani Ambassador in Moscow after meeting the Soviet Prime Minister, Mr. Kosygin. This was not yet been denied, he added.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 11.07.1971