পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/১১৯

91 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড Mr. Harold Wilson: Will the Foreign Secretary or, if he prefers, his Right Hon. Friend the Leader of the House, now say whether be is prepared to have discussions through the usual channels so that there can be an urgent debate? It would not be the intention of anyone in the House to make it a debate in which there would be a vote, but the concern shown by the whole House on the problem, both national and international, surely justifies a debate. May I further ask the Right Hon. Gentleman, or whoever answers, if he is aware that there will naturally be a desire for a Standing Order No. 9 Adjournment debate, which might be difficult because of the aid debate. The aid debate is not the right way for this subject to be handled, because many of the questions put to the Right Hon. Gentleman, and many of his answers, go far wider than would be in order in a debate on aid. The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. William Whitelaw): I am grateful to the Right Hon. Gentleman, I fully appreciate the concern of the House in this matter, Tomorrow, as the Right Hon. Gentleman knows, it has been planned to have a debate on aid on the Motion for the Adjournment of the House. What is raised on the Motion for the Adjournment is not for us but will naturally range widely. Of course, I am prepared to discuss through the usual channels the possibility of seeing whether today and tomorrow might be split between these two subjects, or some similar arrangement. I am very ready to have discussions through the usual channels. Mr. Harold Wilson: I thank the Right Hon. Gentleman for his ready response. We shall be ready to co-operate in such a way that the Government do not lose Government time; for instance, by having a debate until 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock on the problem of India and Pakistan and then, if the House is agree able, extending the period so that there could still be a reasonably full debate thereafter on all other aid aspects. Mr. Barnes: I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration namely. "the need for the British Government to increase greatly their contribution towards providing for the refugees who have come from East Pakistan to India, and at the same time to clarify their policy towards Pakistan." I realize that there is an overseas aid debate tomorrow, but the question of 'Britain's contribution is so urgent and so specific that it would be entirely wrong for it to become submerged in a general overseas aid debate. Secondly, it should be known in this House that there is considerable confusion in India and also in the British High Commission about exactly where Britain stands on the question of coming to the rescue of the Pakistan economy which is a totally separate question from the overseas aid commitments referred to by the Foreign Secretary and which are to be debated tOMOí′rOW . For these reasons and in view of the great concern both in the country at large and in the Press, I beg to suggest that this is a fit subject to be debated specifically on its own as an emergency tomorrow.