Fresh Russian warning to Pakistan
From Our Special Correspondent, NEW DELHI, Oct. 17.-The Soviet Union is reported to have strongly warned Pakistan of any military nusadventure against India.
The latest warning, couched in friendly and diplomatic words, has been conveyed to President Yahya Khan when he had met the Soviet President Mr. Podgorny at Presepolis, Iran, on the occasion of the 2,5000th anniversary of the Persian Empire on Friday.
This is one of the reasons why Gen. Yahya Khan had hurried back to Pakistan a day before his scheduled departure. He is very much aware of the half a dozen Pak Military officials of high rank who have been itching tor a war with India.
The Government of India. It is leant, has been keeping the Soviet Union informed of all measures taken in response to the aggressive and bellicose mobilisation by Pakistan on the Indian borders. The Soviet Union also, on her own, knows of the military moves by Pakistan on the specious plea of Indian mobilisation.
The knowledge of the Pak Military moves is the reason behind recent public agitation against Pakistan in the Soviet Union, led by the Pravda, the organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The public opinion in the USSR is already roused against Pakistan’s military regime.
It is in this background that the meeting between Mr. Padgorny and Cen. Yahya Khan had taken place in Persepolis. Any strong stand taken by the Soviet Union will discourage Pakistan in taking an aggressive military posture against India.
The Government of India, however, is said to have drawn the attention of the Soviet Union to the fact that Pakistan is openly threatening India on the score of the activities of the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh. According to a broadcast by Pakistan Radio yesterday. Gen. Yahya Khan had told Mr. Padgorny that Pakistan would withdraw her forces from the borders if India stopped assisting the Mukti Bahini.
This plea is sinister by itself. On the one hand. It assumes India has been actively helping the Mukti Bahini, and on the other, Pakistan seeks to blackmail India.
The conclusion drawn by Indian Military experts is that Pakistan keeps her option to go to war against India the moment she finds that East Bengal is getting too hot for her military personnel. They hold that the present. Pak Military moves are meant to off-set the future loss of East Bengal. This means, according to these experts, that Pakistan will do her best to grab some portion of Indian territory, in case of military actions, so as to put them on the bargain counter.
The Government of India, it is learnt, has kept all her friends abroad informed of possible Pakistan moves.
Meanwhile, India has put all her forces on round-the-clock alert. While the Army has been drawn up in defensive positions against any Pak Military move in the Western and Eastern theatres, the Indian Air Force, at all the forward airfields, is ready at “scrambling” point attention. So also are ready India’s ground-to-air missile launching pads.
The Soviet Union may be attempting to mediate between India and Pakistan over Bangladesh issue, usually well informed sources said at Teheran today, Reuter reports from Teheran.
They said, the Soviet President, Mr. Podgorny was believed to have made several proposals aimed at initiating talks between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 18.10.1971