পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৫৪৫

513 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড Mr. Paul Mark Henri who is in charge of the United Nations Relief Operation in East Pakistan said in his news conference last Thursday that he did not think that there would be a shortage of stocks. The main problem Mr. Henri envisages is distribution. The railways of East Pakistan used to carry about 60% of the food imported into East Pakistan and a foreign correspondent has reported from Dacca this (last) week that the rail ways are still only operating at about 20% of their normal capacity. The United Nations appear to be discounting the railways and are going to try to get food distributed by water and road transport. They will supply a thousand vehicles and various coasters and other boats. But it is reported that of the 100 United Nations trucks which have already been supplied to East Pakistan 70 are still stuck in Chittagong because the road conditions are so bad that they cannot be driven to their destinations. This is where another very important factor in the situation comes in-the guerrillas. The road conditions are bad because they have been sabotaged by the various groups of guerrillas. Recently also at least three ships have been damaged by limpet mines in Chalna harbor and this has led one British shipping line to stop all sailings into East Pakistani ports. Although it is now believed that none of the Slips which were damaged were carrying food it is going to be virtually impossible to get the necessary food stocks into East Pakistan if the main ports cannot be kept safe. Apart from absotaging the communications, the other main difficulty that the guerrillas are posing is that in many parts of the province the army are still being forced to take action against them. This military activity might well have to be stepped up because the guerrillas are threatening to launch a new and, more intensive campaign. It is very difficult to arrange for food distribution in areas where intensive military action is going on. Last month. Mr. Moshtaque Ahmed, who describes, himself as the Foreign Minister of the provisional government of Bangladesh, told a foreign correspondent in India that he hoped an International relief operation could be conducted in East Pakistan. But he said that he would not be prepared to cooperate with anything except a full scale international operation in which the distribution of food was entirely handled by independent international organizations. His view was reiterated by a spokesman for the Bangladesh movement in London this (last) week. The spokesman made it' quite dear that he did not regard the Present United, Nations operation as anything more than an agency of the Pakistan army. The Bangladesh movement also pointed out that so far no one had even approached them to ask for their cooperation and that until that happened they were unlikely to try and restrain the guerrilla activities. Bengali dawn news talk for 16// 7 October >'b | ASIAN TOPICAL TALKS PRESS ON PAKISTAN 20th October, 1971 Edited by Mark Tully (S) There is a report in the Daily Telegraph today from Clare Hollingworth in Gauhati in Assam. She says that a guerrilla offensive against the Pakistan army is imminent, and that