পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (চতুর্দশ খণ্ড).pdf/৬০০

568 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ১৮৯। বাংলাদেশের যন্ত্রণা অস্ট্রেলিয়ান ১৪ এপ্রিল, ১৯৭১ THE AUSTRALIAN, APRIL I4, 1971 THE AGONY OF BANGLADESH By Martin Woollacott The situation of the Bangladesh rebel in East Pakistan is worsening day by day and it is a pathetic and heart-rending spectacle. There is hardly a liberation movement of the 20th century that can calim such unanimous support from people of all classes, nor one that was ever so ill prepared and ill-equipped to fight for its rights. . After a 200-mile journey into East Bengal reaching to Faridpur on the banks of the Ganges, some 90 miles from the Indian border, the main impression is of a people who, with every justification but, sadly, with limited chances of success, are crying out for international help before it is too late. And that, at least as far as the short-term prospects of the liberation movement are concerned, could be very soon indeed. The Pakistani Army, now estimated at a strength of more than five divisions, is moving swiftly to take the towns held by the Bangladesh during a three-day trip, I begin and it win probably succeed in doing so. Everywhere I went in Bangladesh during a three-day trip, I heard the same appeal in the squares of the towns, in the offices of administrators, in barracks, in roadside pharmacies and shops: "Why doesn't the world help us?" In Magura, between Jessore and Faridpur, a middle-kged lawyer, Mr. Nasir-ul Islam, who has become effective chief civil administrator, insisted on writing out a lengthy "appeal to the freedom-loving humanity" in fine copperplate hand which began: "We appeal to humanity to come to our help in this period of greatest calamity when we, the entire nation of Bangladesh, are forced to take up arms against the occupation army of the Punjabis who are up to anything to destroy the last point of civilization." Watched by a crowd of several hundred people and feeling something of a charlatan, I placed this ceremoniously in my beg. One soon forgets one's initial amusement at the flowery Indian English of educated Bengalis when one sees the tragic situation they are in. Food, petrol and other essential commodities are in the shortest of supply, and the disruption of water and power services has brought a public health risk. At least at Magura they have enough rifles for a half company or so. Further on at one river crossing town, the former Pakistani airman in charge of defenses tells me they have four Lee-Enfield rifles and two dummy rifles.