পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৫৪৭

515 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড depth along the Lahore frontier. The most dangerous aspect of the situation, Loshak feels is the difficulty of unwinding from the present state of tension. Loshak also does not see any sign that the military regime in Pakistan is willing to help bring the situation back to normal. Clare Hollingsworth reports that Mrs. Gandhi had long and calm meetings with her cabinet and with the chiefs of the armed forces before she left at which she insisted on restraint. John Grigg who has recently returned from a visit to India as an official guest wrote a long article in yesterdays Observer in which he said, that Mrs. Gandhi is still extremely anxious to find a peaceful solution to this problem but she will not shrink from war if her efforts to find a peaceful solution fail. He thinks that Mrs. Gandhi's foreign tour is her last bid for peace. She will be asking the leaders of the Western powers to use every sanction short of war to bring about the changes in East Pakistan which are essential if the refugees are to return. On the other hand, Sir Frederick Bennett who is a Member of Parliament has written a letter in today's Telegraph in which he says that having just returned from a visit to both wings of Pakistan he is convinced that the concept of Bangladesh is as dead as Biafra Sir Frederick Bennett points out that United Nations observers have advised that one of the best ways of inducing the refugees to return is to reduce the tension on the border. If the guerrilla activities inside East Pakistan continue. Sir Frederick warns that a major war is likely to break out. In an article in the Times today Peter Hazelhurst analyses the relative strengths of the Indian and Pakistani forces. He says that both are well disciplined and well armed. Numerically the Indians have a 3 to 1 advantage but this is offset by the fact that 10 of India's 27 divisions are tied down on the northern border with China He also points out the logistical strains under which the Pakistan army is having to operate. Hazelhurst does not think India is likely to march into East Pakistan because this would leave the province in chaos and India could end up with 70 million refugees. But he says that if the guerrillas harass the Pakistan army effectively President Yahya Khan might be forced to start a military action, probably in Kashmir. In this way Hazelhurst says President Yahya Khan would focus world attention on Kashmir and force the Security Council to meet. Finally, both the Scotsman and the Guardian today carry editorials. Both papers agree that war is unlikely while Mrs. Gandhi is away. The Scotsman says that India has responded more readily to appeals for restraint than Pakistan has responded to appeals to make a fundamental hut necessary change in her policy if Mrs. Gandhi docs not succeed in increasing international concern about the return of the refugees, especially in America, pressure for military action with India will increase. The Guardian says that Mrs. Gandhi must succeed in getting a temporary block on American arms shipments to Pakistan and a much larger United Nations forces in East Pakistan otherwise she wiłł not be able to restrain the extremists in India. But the Guardian also feels that India should offer to allow United Nations teams into the refugee areas.