Indian Snub for BanglaDesh Team
By David Loshak In Delhi
A Two-Man delegation from the unofficial “Government of BanglaDesh”, left Delhi yesterday for Calcutta empty-handed after appealing for more support from India.
The delegation comprised Mr Hossain Ali, Pakistan’s former Deputy High Commissioner in Calcutta and Mr Abdus Asad, political adviser to Mr Tajuddin Ahmed “Prime Minister ” of BanglaDesh.
The BanglaDesh Government is increasingly concerned that it is being ignored in the international settlement efforts brought about by Mrs Gandhi’s recent talks with Western leaders. The leaders say that not only were they not consulted but were hardly kept informed of developments except by the newspaper.
Extremism fear
This “Government really represents little more than the rump of the Awami League, the leading party in East Pakistan until the army stepped in. It now sees the chances of power slipping daily from its grasp and into the hands of extreme Left wing groups.
Mr Ali and Mr Azad received confirmation that while Indians were sympathetic to their cause, any early recognition of BanglaDesh was out of the question. Only vague assurances were given about more support for the guerrillas in East Pakistan.
They came to Delhi when it became clear, soon after Mrs Gandhi refused, that India was not going to take any quick action to resolve the crisis.
The whole trend of Indian policy now, under Mrs Gandhi’s extremely firm direction, is to avoid a confrontation in the belief that Pakistan is collapsing anyway and that the crisis will therefore “solve itself.”
Reference: The Daily Telegraph, 15 November, 1971