বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড
army looting the food supplies from the market nearby, and finally the execution of several EPR as they were forced by Punjabi soldiers onto a truck to be “taken away". The mass execution of several thousands of Bengali policemen and East Pakistan Rifles is already documented. We also witnessed from a neighbor’s house, army personnel fire three shots across Gulshan Lake at several little boys who were swimming. Nearly every night there was sporadic gun-fire near our home adding to the fear of twenty-six refugees staying with us. During the day Pakistan planes flew overhead to their bombing missions.
It would be possible for me to chronicle many specific atrocities, but we have left close friends behind whose lives might be more endangered. It is clear that the law of the juggle prevails in East Pakistan where the mass killing of unarmed civilians, the systematic elimination of the intelligentsia, and the annihilation of the Hindu population is in progress.
The reports of Consul Blood, available to you as a Congressmen, contains a mare detailed and complete account of the situation. In addition, he has submitted concrete-proposals for constructive moves our government can make. While in no way suggesting that we interfere with Pakistan's internal affairs he asserts, and we support him, that the United States must not continue to condone the military action with official silence. We also urge you to read the Dacca official community's open cable to the State Department. It is for unlimited distribution and states the facts about the situation in East Pakistan..
By not making a statement, the State Department appears to support the clearly immoral action of the West Pakistani army, navy, and air force against the Bengali people.
We were evacuated by Pakistan's Commercial airline. We were loaded on planes that had just disembarked full loads of Pakistani troops and military supplies. American AID dollars are providing support of military action. In Teheran, due to local support of Pakistan, I was unable to wire you the information I am writing.
Fully recognizing the inability of our government to oppose actively or intervene in this desperate oppression of the Bengalies. I urge you to seek and support a condemnation by Congress and the President of the United States of the in-human treatment being accorded the seventy-five million people of East Pakistan.
No political consideration can outweigh the importance of a humanitarian stand, reiterating the American belief in the value of individual lives and a democratic process of government. The action of President Yahya banning the democratically elected majority party, who had ninety-eight percent of the East Wings electorate backing them, ought to arouse a country, which prides itself on the democratic process.
We urge you to speak out actively against the tragic massacre of civilians in East Pakistan.
JON E. ROHDE. M.D.
