Death ‘on a megaton scale’
The Government was urged by Mrs Judith Hart. MP, in a brief debate on the situation in Bengal, to exert overt pressure on Pakistan. She had no doubt that the Government had put pressure on already, but added: “I believe the moment has now come when overt expression and outright expression of world opinion is an urgent necessity.”
The conference approved without dissent a National Executive statement expressing concern at the “totally inadequate response of the world community” to the vast refugee problem, called for an emergency, humanitarian programme under the UN to relieve famine in East Bengal, and demanded the withholding of aid until military repression had ceased and political leaders, particularly Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had been released.
Copies of the statement have been sent to the Prime Minister and the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations.
Mrs Hart, speaking for the executive, said that they were handicappeed because words could not encompass the immensity of the suffering. “This is death and suffering on a megaton scale, the kind of thing we used to discuss when we talked about nuclear war.” The must understand, however, that this was a man-made problem, and it was therefore conceivable to produce man-made solutions. The direct responsibility for the tragedy rested with the Pakistan government.
UN relief
She warned of the imminent prospect of famine in East Bengal with crops not planted and a transport system and a rural economy which had totally broken down. There was desperate urgency and the Bangladesh Government should take the initiative.
They demanded a massive UN relief operation in East Bengal with food distribution to be carried out by United Nations officials, and not by the army. But the long-term answer lay in a political solution-a real one, and not a phony one. It must involve the release of Sheikh Mujib and all other Awami League leaders now in prison.
Beyond the horror, there was a further danger. “This is a situation which is potentially highly dangerous for the whole continent of Asia because the tensions which have been unhealed, and the danger of war for India and Pakistan could lead us straight to a situation of Vietnam-type escalation.”
Quoting Burke-”All that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” she insisted that there must be “action now while there might still be time.”
Mr Bruce Douglas-Mann, MP for North Kensington, said the disaster could lead to the greatest tragedy the world had ever known. He accused the Pakistan authorities of “the most brutal killing the world has ever seen.” He urged the conference to go further and call for recognition of BanglaDesh.
This must accept that the country known as Pakistan was dead. The guerrillas in Bengal must win their fight if millions of lives were not to be lost.
Mr John Stonehouse, MP for Windesbury, said that in the next three of four months more than 20 million people might die from famine. He described the behavior of the Pakistan army and authorities as “the Marquis de sade writ large.” After nearly 200 days of unmitigated horor, the horror still went on. It was a disaster that the UN and the world community had not-raised its voice in a strong condemnation of this evil.
Mr Tom Torney, MP for Bradford South, spoke of divisions between members of the Pakistan community in his city. They must first stop the tragic events in Bengal and then get the parties round the table to discuss whether there should be a government of a free Bangla Desh. The first thing was to stop the killing.
Reference: The Guardian : 8 October 1971