Yahya trying to divert world attention, says Tajuddin
MUJIBNAGAR, JULY 22- Mr. Tajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has said that Gen. Yahya Khan’s blustering talks of war with India is an indication of his despair aimed at deflecting the world’s attention from the liberation movement and creating communal and racial disharmony, “says P.T.I.
Mr. Ahmed said in a statement that consistently with this design the Pakistani President was also trying to represent the war between the sovereign people of Bangladesh and the Pakistani Military regime as an Indo-Pakistani conflict.
“The Pakistani Army”, the Bangladesh Premier said, “has suffered unflattering losses in men and morale and Gen. Yahya Khan probably fears more in future. His attempt to form a puppet government with the help of quilling and the elected representatives, now held in captivity, has also failed.”
Mr. Ahmed said: “The Mukti Bahini and the people of Bangladesh are determined not to give any comfort to Gen. Yahya Khan and his fellow Generals now or in future. This determination also explains the Pakistani President’s need for preparing the world in advance for any possible intensification of the war with the Mukti Fouj by ascribing belligerent motives to India.”
Mr. Ahmed said Gen. Yahya Khan had coupled his threat of declaring war on India. If the latter made an attempt to seize any part of Bangladesh, with his plan of putting Sheik Mujibur Rahman before a military court to be tried in camera.
The Generals, who have usurped power in Pakistan, are guilty of suppressing the people’s will and human rights in Bangladesh and have no moral or legal right to try the Bangabandhu who has come to symbolize all that the Bengali nation stands for.”
He said Gen. Yahya Khan must be made to abandon his heinous plot against the life of the Bangabandhu and lease him forthwith.
“For the world to remain an idle spectator at the proposed trial.” Mr. Ahmed said, “Will be to abet a terrible crime and betray all human and civilized values.”
Two senior sub-judges were among hundreds of officials gunned down by the Pakistani Army in its systematic destruction of the civil administrative machinery which had unequivocally gone over to military crackdown in Bangladesh.
They were Mr. Santosh Kumar Das Gupta of Jessore and Mr. Nitindra Narayan Das of Barisal.
Mr. Das Gupta was confined for three days at Jessore Cantonment and shot dead on May 1.
Mr. Das was shot along with his 15-year-old son Arabinda a few days later at Barisal.
The Martial Law Authorities continue to “blow hot and cold” in a mixed fare of terrorisation and cajolery of the people of Bangladesh.
| Alongside their systematic Butchery and announcements of rich rewards for capture of “deserters” and recovery of fire-arms, the Army authorities have now come out with leaflets “In the name of President of Yahya “Swearing” full security to countrymen who have crossed the border and amnesty to misguided personnel of the East Bengal Regiment and East Pakistan Rifles.”
These leaflets had been distributed in thousands to find their way to Mukti Fauj bases where they were used to light up camp-fires.
A second Razaf Hercules fight was being provided to carry New Zealand plastic shelter material to India for East Bengal refugees, the Prime Minister, Sir Keith Holyoake, said in a statement today, reports Reuter from Wellington.
Sir Keith said the plane would depart as soon as possible and that it would be followed to Calcutta by a second flight with other relief on board.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 23.07.1971