পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৫৭২

540 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড then thirteen per cent of the currency notes in circulation were so backed. And I was told that Pakistan hoped for financial aid from certain Arab countries. The East Pakistan crisis halted for many weeks the inter-wing flow of money. The west wing, for example, sells cotton goods in East wing and depends on the money generated to come back to regenerate production in the West. The money stopped coming back. This disrupted West Wing production. In East Pakistan jute which should have been planted has not been put in. peasants planted rice instead for food. The jute market may be a declining one but it's still an important source of foreign currency. It seems future production must be affected. The strife has caused the teapickers, mainly Hindus, to flee from tea gardens. Bushes are not tended with consequent loss of production and Possible longer term damage. Certainly some British interests are at s take. Britain's investment in Pakistan amounts to some one hundred million pounds, most of it in the East Wing. Pakistan has been a major recipients of British aid and Britain has maintained a comfortable trade balance with Pakistan. In the East Wing there should be no danger of famine yet. America has been sending food grains, but during the first six weeks of the crisis at least, grain was rotting uncovered on the docks at Chittagong, according to eye witnesses. There has been great difficulty in moving any supplies in land, in times of unrest the labour force tends to flee from the towns back to the villages, which means costly loss of work. Many workers have fled into India and may never return. The military operation itself is costly. Troops—have been flown around the subcontinent to reach Dacca as Pakistani aircraft may not fly over India. The fuel bills are heavy and extra aircraft have had to be chartered. The cost in terms of human life cannot yet be gauged. The true casualties caused once the army took action cannot be guessed After such disruption it can hardly be expected that the normal economy of East Pakistan can re-start simply at someone's decree. The Aid to Pakistan consortium, comprising America, Britain, France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Australia should meet in June. Meeting after meeting has been postponed. There are indications that the donor countries are waiting for a clearer idea of what's happening, and their attitude could be a critical factor. More than fifty per cent of Pakistan's budget goes on defense. If the East Wing which used to earn most of the money, eventually falls away or remains virtually nonproductive then the West Wine alone can hardly support present Army I've listed only some of the problems but on evidence, looked at from any angle Pakistan's economy is facing ruin. ጌታ ! CABLE FROM KARACHI 26th June 1971 by Mark Tully Mr. M. M. Ahmed, the President's economic adviser, has announced Pakistan's budged for the financial year 1971/72. Mark Tully reports from Karachi: