U THANT GRATIFIED
Pakistan Accepts UN Offer
UNITED NATIONS :- U.N. Secretary-General U. Thant is gratified that Pakistan has decided to accept his offer of aid for the people of East Pakistan through U.N. agencies, a spokesman here said Tuesday.
The Secretary-General has asked Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador, Agha Shahi, for more details of his Government’s needs before taking action on the request, the spokesman added.
President Yahya Khan’s economic affairs adviser, Muzaffar M. Ahmed, called on U. Thant Monday and told the Secretary-General of the aid required- mostly food, and water transport to help carry it into the interior of East Pakistan.
Ahmed also suggested that some 209 U.N. experts, who left East Pakistan during fighting between the Pakistani Army and Bengali seperatist last March, could resume their work in the country from June 1.
The U.N. spokeman said Tuesday that U. Thant had not yet made a decision about the return of the experts, but was waiting for further information.
Meanwhile an acrimonious debate between the India and Pakistan U.N. ambassaders which began last week in the U.N. Social Committee’s debate on human rights ended here Tuesday on a note.
Samar Sen on refugee problem
Monday, Samar Sen (India) said the number of refugee, entering India continued to grow, with the latest figures reaching nearly two and a half million.
India being a poor country, could not look after a refugee influx bigger than the population of Paraguay’s – refugees from a neighbouring country who left it because that country had made conditions intolerable to its own citizens.
These people should be looked after and sent home as soon as possible he said.
The Pakistan Government should be requested to restore human rights to the people of the country, the Indian Government should get immediate aid to look after the refugees until they could return home, and international relief and rehabilitation should be undertaken in East Pakistan.
Agha Shahi (Pakistan) replied at Tuesday’s meeting of the Social Committee on the human rights, he said the situation in East Pakistan- where extremists helped by India and launched an armed secessionist movement- had now turned the corner.
Freedom from outsids intrution
What his country now needed most in order to alleviate hardships was freedom from outside intrution. “Help- yes interference-no”, he declared.
Shahi said the Indian ambasador had replied that the Pakistan Government was starving its people, but as U Thant had been informed Monday, there was expected to be no food shortage for the coming months.
The reports created by the foreign press that Pakistan had rejected offers of help had been shows to be erroneus the help of friendly countries and of the U.N. family of organisations would be welcomed.
Reference : The Djakarta Times, 21.05.1971