Letters to the editor 6 Prafulla Sarkar St. Calcutta 1
NIP IT IN THE BUD The acting President of Bangladesh, Syed Nazrul Islam, has emphatically assertedand rightly too-that those engaged in malicious propaganda against the new Republic would be branded enemies of the country. It is indeed surprising that when the just-born country has been endeavouring its best to assim late the long suffering out of brutalities and torture meted out during 9 months and attempting to usher in a new era such propaganda should be made. The move is indeed a sinister one and need be crushed for the interest of the 75 million people there.
In this connection the warning to foreign journalists who had been dispatching wrong and false news and/or transmitting exaggerating news was very timely. Your own men who extensively toured Dacca city only 5 days after it was liberated did not observe any sign of riot about which some despatches were made by among others the BBC, it is not difficult to understand the motive behind such action. One is delaying recognition on the part of some countries, notably the UK. The other one is to help crystalize the feeling that the new leadership minus sheikh Mujibur has been failing to control the situation. You did well to dispel such idea when you commented that “the overwhelming popular support behind the Government had never been in doubt” and that “the return of Bangladesh leaders of Dacca has shown that their authority is supreme in the new State and they can function from the very capital which they had to flee nine months ago because of the organized butchery of the Pakistani occupation forces” (Return to Dacca- H.S. Dec. 24-25)
Yet another motive could be to keep Pakistani influence indirectly to help Sino American axis which has been extending all help to Islamabad without realizing the reality of the situation. All this is not conducive to the growth of the newly-born State and therefore all endeavors should be made to nip the evil forces in bud.SHYAMAL GUPTA, Hindustan Cables.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 05.01.1972