পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/২৫৪

2 2 2 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড When the army occupied East Pakistan and banned the Awami League the election was in effect annulled. Some elected assemblymen were cleared by the army to take their seats but most had fled to India or joined guerrillas. In July President Yahya Khan announced that bye-election would be held to fill the seats. Government approved candidates and parties, most of them strongly rightwing and fundamentalist. Moslems and all heavily escorted by troops, have begun giving speeches in East Pakistan, and are reported on at length in the "CONTROLLED PRESS All have advocated a war to finish against miscreants and Indian agents-words invariably used by the Government to describe the Bengali guerrillas. Meanwhile the anguish of war continues in the countryside. The guerrillas are taking an increasing toll of the occupation army and medical circles report growing numbers of bodies of soldiers. The guerrillas are, also said to be assassinating members of the local "peace committees", civilian groups made up mostly of nonBengalis and assigned to carry out army administration of occupied areas. When troops or peace committees are attacked the army bums hamlets to the ground in reprisal, and local reports usually tell of heavy losses of life. In the prevailing circumstances according to most foreign observers stationed here, the refugee crisis and the other major problems are not susceptible of solution however, much foreign assistance is poured in. It is susceptibly unlikely they say. that East Pakistan's Hindu minority, about 10 per cent of the March population of 75 million, will ever return in any number. The Hindus were particular targets of the soldiers. Hindu communities and shops burned out by the army stand deserted, their temples smashed. The Government have made it plain that Hinduism will no longer be tolerated in East Pakistan; to reinforce the point the new civilian governor. Dr. A. M. Malik did not appoint a Hindu to his interim cabinet Centers No Longer Visited A foreign relief worker, reflecting the failure of government's amnesty, said, "we no longer bother to visit the government's 60 or so refugee reception centers. It is obvious they are coming back in more than a tiny trickle-none in some areas". "At one place." he added, "we discovered that the government had a staff of Professional refugees that they brought out whenever visitor came to show that Something was going on". "The army authorities tell you there are 2000 refugees at some camps, another expert related, you go there and find a handful of people wandering around, and under continued questioning the authorities agree - maybe there are only 200". There are universal complaints that even in the matter of humanitarian relief the army has commandeered all available trucks, cars, motor-launches and boats-The only Available means of moving food or supplies until foreign relief vehicles can be brought in.