পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৩৬৮

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড
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 “India's West Bengal State is short of police because so many are guarding the rivers to keep the bodies of cholera victims from being thrown in.”

 The Star report from Krishnanagar, India, continues with these omnious paragraphs:

 Rumours spread daily that Pakistani agents from across the border 20 miles away are emptying bottles of cholera germs into local water supplies to make the epidemic spread faster.

 A crowd of 500 persons beat a Moslem to death yesterday at the Krishnanagar railway station after a report that he had emptied a small boule into a roadside well.

 Mr. Speaker, I doubt if those rumours are true, but the point is that they exist and are undoubtedly believed on the scene. It is, however, an undeniable fact that cholera is increasing and so we must not only help to combat the disease, but we must do all we can to pacify the source of the disease and allow the refugees to return to their homes.

 This, of course, cannot be done unilaterally by the United States, but it is further evidence against the resumption of any form of American aid to the Government of Pakistan. Rather than diminishing, the numbers of refugees are increasing, offering a powerful counter-argument to claims that the situation in East Pakistan is returning to normal.

 Further, it must be recognized that the size of the cholera epidemic inside East Pakistan must be immense. I believe we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg when we see the cholera in India.

The worst may be yet to come

 But East Pakistan simply must return to some stability or else the worst is yet to come. I speak of the distinct possibility of famine, a famine unimagined in modem times. Should the flow of refugees continue, it will be extremely expensive for the world community to feed them. For not only must food be provided, but also housing. jobs, sanitary facilities, and some basic amenities.

 However, if food could be gotten to the people inside East Pakistan, relief efforts would not be as expensive. That is, unfortunately, a very real consideration and, in my judgment, is yet another reason for mounting an extensive effort controlled by international agencies.

 The specter of famine and the death of as many as 30 million people from starvation hangs heavy over the region and virtually compels the prompt resumption of normal life in East Pakistan.

 In addition, Mr. Speaker, we must consider what the political climate inside East Pakistan would be if the normal flow of life does not return. Obviously, the army is now in control of the population centers-described in reports from East Pakistan as being virtual “ghost towns"-but the countryside ideal territory for insurgency. Any sort of aid