পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/২৫৮

বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ৯৩। পাকিস্তানের অবস্থা সংকটজনক ওয়াশিংটন পোষ্ট ১৭ অক্টোবর, ১৯৭১ WASHINGTON POST, OCTOBER 17, 1971 PAKISTANIPLIGHT 'DESPERATE" By Anthony Astrachan United Nations, October 16. There has been some Progress on humanitarian relief in the East Pakistan crisis but none on the political and military sides, according to U. N. sources, and the situation remains "desperate." Forty-seven speakers in the annual U. N. general debate that ended this week called for political reconciliation, but none moved to put the problem on the agenda of the General Assembly or the Security Council. U. N. officials suggested two causes. One was collective fatigue from involvement in Chinese representation, the Middle East conflict and other was fear of involvement in a great-power conflict. Secretary General U Thant urged the Security Council to take action on this "potential threat to peace and security" last August. Private consultations showed Soviet backing for India and American leanings toward Pakistan, and the council refused even to endorse Thant's expression of concern. India estimates that 9.3 million refugees had fled from East Pakistan to India as of October 11 Pakistan puts the refugee figure at 2 million U. N. officials are reckoning relief supplies in terms of 6.5 to 8.5 million refugees, with thousands more crossing the border every day. According to diplomats here and foreigners in Dacca, prerequisites for the return of refugees are a representative government in Dacca, an end to police and military terror in East Pakistan, and more effective efforts by the Pakistan government to repair the damage of the crisis. The same sources say these prerequisites have not been met despite promises of amnesty and the revival of political life by president Yahya Khan. In these circumstances, the return of refugees is too small to be called a trickle, according to Sources here. Observers here recently repeated fears that general war would break out between the two countries. At the same time they point out that India has so far refused to do either of the things most likely to precipitate a war, perhaps because of restraint from the Soviet Union. It has refused to give de jure recognition to the Bangladesh government in Calcutta on Indian soil, and it has refused to give the guerrillas the logistic support and air cover that would enable them to seize a piece of East Pakistan territory.