পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৫৩৬

504 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড reality appears dangerously loose. If he believes he has foreign support for his actions, he must be unbalanced, the paper goes on. If he does not believe it, he is trying to deceive the people of Pakistan about the extent of international disapproval of his brutal policies. One thing is clear, the Scotsman adds. Foreign governments have failed to change President Yahya's mind and steer him back to civilized methods of ruling. Sዓ! ASIAN TOPICAL TALKS DESPATCH FROM MARK TULLY EAST PAKISTAN REACTIONS ΤΟ ΥΑΗΥΑ 1st July, 1971. Edited by Evan Charlton (S) Mark Tully of the BBC's Eastern Service, cables from Dacca; after talking 10 businessmen, journalists, and ordinary people in and nearby Dacca it has become even clearer to me that President Yahya Khan's latest political programme has been a severe disappointment to East Pakistan. There is nothing in it for East Pakistan, was typical of the comments heard. Many feel that the President's speech was designed to encourage the people of West Pakistan and the armed forces. His condemnation of the Awami League leaders has disappointed those who genuinely hoped for some settlement. His praise for the armed forces has been treated with the utmost cynicism. The Islamic emphasis in the President speech will, it is fait only increase alarm amongst the Hindus, who are still here and will certainly not encourage Hindu refugees to return. The fact is that the Bengalis here do not believe the army is well intentioned. The destruction of eight villages about 50 miles northwest of Dacca has demonstrated beyond doubt that the army is still taking punitive action cut this is not really so important for the future as the rumors which are rife in and around Dacca. These alarming rumors of continuing army brutality people being taken away to the cantonment and not returned, rape and extracting money and goods by force are rarely confirmable but they are almost universally believed. In this sort of atmosphere it is quite impossible for the army to restore confidence and indeed they do not even seem to be able to make any effort to do so. Armed posses of mainly Punjabi police patrol the city and they are clearly very jittery; one also sees occasional army machine gun patrols. People are searched before going into the telegraph office and there are spot checks on the streets. Several people I have talked to have been frightened to be seen with me. Business in the bazaars appears to be reasonably brisk but there are far fewer people about than normal at night in the streets are still practically deserted. Office attendance has improved but it would seem that most Hindu office workers have not returned. Virtually no effort to restore the damage done by the army has been made. Communal bitterness between the Bengalis and the Urdu speakers is still very strong Under these circumstances it is impossible to see how a government in anyway associated with the basically West Pakistani Army can regain the confidence of the people.