Singh tells Nixon of need for concerted action
WASHINGTON, June 17.- The Indian External Affairs Minister Mr. Swaran Singh called on President Nixon last night at the White House and conveyed to him Indian views and assessments on the developing situation in Bangladesh, says PTI.
Mr. Singh told the President about the gravity of the problems being faced by India because of Islamabad’s action in East Pakistan and the need for concerted international action to persuade Gen. Yahya Khan to reach a political settlement with the real leaders of East Bengal.
Mr. Singh is reported to have told President Nixon the pressures on India and the fact that if the world community did not act quickly. India might be forced to take steps to safeguard her interests.
Mr. Singh is also reported to have made it clear that the issue could not be dodged by merely providing humanitarian assistance to the refugees or giving economic aid to India for that purpose. The fundamental problem inside East Bengal must be faced and solved, he added.
Earlier yesterday, Mr. Singh met the US Secretary of State, Mr. Roger’s and a working lunch with him.
Basically the US approacs still appears to be one of privately and publicly making some noises and persuading Genneral Yahya Khan to set up some civilian rule and reach some political accommodation that could ease the situation.
With its primary, immediate foreign policy objective of and improving its relations with China the US is getting nervous at every Indian reaction that threatens to upset the apple eart.
The USA appears to be worried that the Indian government might move militarily against Islamabad and this might bring China into the picture. The US. also knows that in such an eventually the Soviet Union is bound to side with India and that this would complicate, if not frustrate, the U.S. wooing of Peking. Hence the remarks made by the Assistant Secretary of State, Mr. Sisco last Sunday appealing both to India and Pakistan for restraint.
The State Department spokesman, Mr. Charles Bray, said Mr. Singh did not request additional aid from the U. S.
“We will be watching in nature of this problem very closely. I cannot say now when and whether there will be an increase in the size of our assistance,” added Mr. Bray.
In his talks yesterday Mr. Singh has reportedly made the same basic points that he has been making in his trip so far. Firstly there could be no military solution to the Bangladesh problem and the West Pakistan military could not hope to go on merrily.
Pakistan’s calculations that they could finish the Bengalee movement in 72 hours were now proved completely wrong. Freedom Fighters were offering resistance even now inside East Bengal and this would grow and not diminish, however, disorganised it might appear to be at the moment. Even the people of West Pakistan did not now set store sufficiently or even partially and when they knew it opposition would build up inside West Pakistan too.
Secondly the flow of refugees into India was merely the symptom of what was happening inside East Bengal. Merely tackling the refugee problem and giving refugees, aid or food without solving the problems that would not do.
Thirdly the conditions in Pakistan should be restored to normality and in such a manner that persons who left the territory would be able to come back. Obviously the continuance of military action or martial law would not achieve this.
Merely the setting up of a civilian regime either would not do-it did not matter to the ordinary citizen whether those wielding authoritarian powers wore military uniforms or civilian clothes.
The only political accommodation that could be achievement would be to deal with the real representatives of the Bengal people—those who were elected by the people.
Mr. Singh was reported to have made clear that the primary job of taking care of the refugees was that of Islamabad since they were nationals of Pakistan. If they could not or were unwilling to do so the international community must do it and India would willingly pay its proportional share.
Sisco’s STATEMENT
The U.S. on Sunday had asked for restraint from both India and Pakistan in a statement issued by the Assistant Secretary. Mr. Sisco. This issue presumably was not raised with Mr. Singh in his talks yesterday.
Mr. Rogers himself at his Press Conference on Tuesday had appeared to back away from Mr. Sisco’s statement. However, Mr. Sisco met on Tuesday with four Washington based Indian newsmen to brief them about the U. S. position. And if their dispatches be any indication, Mr. Sisco not only did not back away from his equating of India and Pakistan in appealing for the restraint, but even sought to justify it.
Mr. Singh, himself irritated like other Indians said on TV. “What are we asked to restrain ourselves about. What is India expected to do.”
The U. S. has not speit it out. No doubt the U. S. Executive branch has become nervous with the public statements of leading figures in India and pressures mounting inside India on the Indian Government for military action.
While the U. S. was unwilling to do; anything effective on President Yahya, the U. S. Government was particularly worried.
It is known that if India moved against Pakistan and if China did anything more than her usual verbal attacks, the USSR: is bound to come in on the Indian side. This would make it impossible for the USA to keep quiet and in the process its policy of getting closer to Peking and thus applying pressure on Moscow would fail.
Even while Mr. Singh was talking to the Executive branch of the USA on Bangladesh situation, in the House of Representatives, Congressman Gallagher who recently visited India and had firsthand knowledge of the situation table an amendment to the foreign aid bill seeking to out off all assistance to Pakistan unless it allowed internationally supervised relief teams and created political conditions whereby the refugees could return.
Meanwhile, a private group of Americans concerned with the situation in Bangladesh who had been lobbying in Washington in a news letter said about their carapaign that they had the maximum impact and effectiveness through the Congress and public opinion and little impact in their appreaches to the White House National Security Council Department headed by Mr. Kisinger or the State Department.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 18.6.1971