Starvation threat to E. Pakistan
By David Loshak in Calcutta
Starvation faces tens of thousands of East Pakistan villagers whose links with the outside world and their sources of supply have been cut off by the civiliwer that has raged for the past ten days.
It is in firm control of Dacca and the five other main cantonments of the province, Rangpur, Jessore, Khulna, Comilla and Chittagong.
All it now needs is replenished supplies of food, fuel and ammunition, brought by air, to move out from the cantonment where it is impregnably entrenched, to wipe out pockets of armed resistance at will.
‘People’s war The Army has already found that while it may be able to impose itself on the towns for the time being, it cannot possibly subdue the countryside. As one Bengali put it; “This is one Bengali put it ; “This is a people’s war. It is the Army versus every Bengali. The army cannot win.”
Whatever the Army’s success sees in the short-term, this is run. No observers here consider that the Army, however strong, can permanently hold down East Pakistan’s 75 million people.
Chaos prevails. They are united to a man against the force but chaos prevails, Nearly all surface communications are cut, with roads blocked, bridges destroyed and rivers unsafe.
Vital supplies are running out fast and many pieces are already exhausted. Although this has hit the Army, the Army can probably be relieved.
Supplies held up The East Pakistan resistance movement has made Indian money an acceptable currency in its area to improve the flow of vital supplies. But with all normal supply lines ruinously disrupted, many thousands of people face a desperate situation.
So although the Army does not control the countryside, a region the size of England, it is 100 simple by far to say that the resistance forces are in charge.
Indian unit ‘wiped out’ By our correspondent in Karachi The West Pakistan Army is reported to have wiped out “Indian armed infiltrators” of battalion strength in one encounter in Chittagong alone last week. Hundreds of others are claimed to have been killed in Kushtia, Khulna, Rangpur, Gopalpur and Jessore.
Meanwhile a Pakistani merchant ship, the Ocean Endroirance (7.795 tons) escaped into Karachi harbor from four Indian warships which had tried to stop and board the vessel. The chase which officials said took place on Friday had lasted for five hours.
The Indian Government has been formally given a warning of the “serious consequences,” If it continues to interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs. The Indian High Commissioner was told at Islamabad that “India was setting a dangerous precedent in international relations.”
It was pointed out that “so-called Indian relief centers.” along the East Pakistan borders “are actually supply bases.” It is said these centers store arms and ammunition.
Reference: The Telegraph, April 4, 1971