বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ তৃতীয় পত্র
TIME Magazine said, in its cover story of 2nd August 1971, “Thus far the war has been officially misrepresented to the people of the West as a mere “operation” against “miscreants.” Tight censorship allows no foreign publications containing stories about the conflict to enter the country. Even so, as more and more soldiers return home badly maimed, and as young officers are brought back in coffins (enlisted men are buried in the East), opposition could mount. The pinch is already being felt economically and there have been massive lay-off in industries unable to obtain raw materials for lack of foreign exchange.
In other words the whole economy has completely collapsed. This is confirmed from the suggestion made in the study of the World Bank which reads “it is most unlikely that any significant movement in the direction of normality will occur until there is a drastic reduction in the visibility-and preferably, even the presence of the military and a re-establishment of normal civilian administration in East Pakistan".
Army To Live Off The Land
The West Pakistan Army has either burnt or looted the food stores and due to the complete dislocation of agricultural life the food situation has become very acute. Because of their failure in logistical supplies, the troops are always found to be desperate for their own survival.
Patrick Keatly of THE GUARDIAN, London writes on April 15, 1971 “Orders to live off the land are being issued to Platoon, Company and Battalion commanders as they leave Dacca with their troops.
It suggests that the logistical supply system has broken down and perhaps there is a problem of finance for the Central Govt. But it conjures up the unpleasant prospect of troops obtaining their food supply at the point of bayonets and clearly ushers in a new phase of what is becoming a savage military campaign."
Famine
Michael Hornsby writes in THE TIMES of London on June 24 “a serious famine is likely to begin in about 4 months and last for a year or more. Many thousands may die- certainly many more than in the refugee camps in India-and several millions could be weakened by malnutrition."
Civil Administration
Because of complete non-cooperation from Bengali civilians who are not assisting the West Pakistan army in any manner, Yahya Khan's regime has brought thousands of West Pakistanis to run the Govt. The SUNDAY TIMES of London writes on June 20 “all Hindu and Awami League Bank accounts have been frozen and Dacca is patrolled by 3000 imported Punjabi Policemen."
Schanberg writes on June 25 “the Pakistan Army is clearly in control of the city but normality the word the Government uses to describe conditions here-does not exist."
