পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/২৩৮

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড

Government of Pakistan as well.

 As I pointed out in my letter of April 22, however, our Military Assistance Programme (MAP) with Pakistan specifically acknowledged the right of that country to use equipment provided under MAP to maintain its internal security as well as its external defense. This position as contained in our 1954 bilateral Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement with the Government of Pakistan was based an provisions of Congressional legislation.

 Much has already been done, however, that parallels the basic concern expressed in the concurrent resolution. As you know, we terminated all grant military assistance to Pakistan and India, as a consequence of the 1965 Indo Pakistan war. We have provided no weapons to either country since then. The only measure of grant military assistance which we have reinstituted since 1965 has been a modest program of military training, running at about $.200,000 annually for each country. We believe this program serves a useful and constructive purpose in maintaining liaison and friendly ties between the armed forces of the United States and Pakistan, offering the latter a continuing avenue of contract with the West and exposure to western ideas. We would, hope this activity could continue and we would regret its suspension or termination.

 With respect to military supply, as the Department's spokesman announce on April 15, the Department of Defense has informed us that no military sales items 'including spare parts and ammunition have been provided to the Government of Pakistan or its agents since the outbreak of fighting in East Pakistan on March 25. In short, no arms have been provided since the beginning of the crisis and the question of deliveries is under review.

 Thus an absolute suspension, regardless of developing circumstance, would not significantly affect the military situation in East Pakistan and could have a strongly adverse political impact on our relations with Pakistan. Thus we believe same flexibility is desirable in our military supply program, in the light of developments, to permit us to preserve a viable relationship with the Government of Pakistan that will be essential if we are to help in providing assistance to those whose lives have been disrupted in the recent fighting and in rebuilding normal patterns of life.

 It would, therefore, appear desirable far the U.S. to be able to continue to supply limited quantities of military items to Pakistan to enable us bath to maintain a constructive bilateral political dialogue and to help ensure that Pakistan is not compelled to rely increasingly on other sources of supply.

 Finally, I would like to express our view that the time frame within which the resolution has been drafted-"until the conflict in East Pakistan is resolved" -is so imprecise as to render its application difficult if not impossible. The conflict in East Pakistan in terms of an active resistance movement appears already to have largely subsided as the Government of Pakistan has succeeded in extending its control over the chief population centers and much of the countryside of East Pakistan. The present official position of the Government of Pakistan is that the armed conflict in East Pakistan has actually ended and that economic rehabilitation and political accommodation are to be undertaken President Yahya Khan has reiterated his intention to restore Government to the elected