SYMPATHY WITH EAST PAKISTAN’S PLIGHT
Though most countries in the world regard the crisis in East Pakistan as an internal affair of Pakistan, countries cannot be prevented from sympathizing with the plight of East Pakistanis who are experiencing a total onslanght by the Pakistani army. With the international press completely cut off from unbiased information from East Pakistan one can only rely on reports from the official Radio Pakistan, the rebel Radio Bangla Desh and the Press Trust of India.
One cannot avoid a great discrepancy in the reports emanating from Radio Pakistan and those from Radio Bangla Desh and PTI. Whereas Radio Pakistan tries hard to tell the world that East Pakistan is calm again now with public offices functioning normally, Radio Bangla Desh and PTI still report about fighting in the main cities of East Pakistan.
What pains us is that so many thousands of East Pakistanis have fallen victims in the conflict. Nothing is more tragic than to see so many people die in the hands of their brothers. We sympathize deeply with the East Pakistani people who have to suffer so profoundly for the mistake of having stood on the side of a party which wanted to give them a greater say in their own affairs.
India as a neighbouring country and blood brother of the East Pakistanis cannot be expected to remain aloof. The Indian parliament has declared its solidarity with the people of East Pakistan, and the Indian representative in the UN is trying hard to have the East Pakistan crisis discussed by the Security Council. Major powers like the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain are also anxious to see the East Pakistani crisis settled more humanely.
We again fervently hope that the leaders of Pakistan be led with the greatest wisdom and restraint in finding a solution for the problem that affects the majority of the population.
ref. Indonesian Observer, 3.4.1971