পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৪০৬

378 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ বাংলাদেশে বায়াফ্রার ঘটনার পুনরাবৃত্তি সিনেটের কার্যবিবরণী ৩০ জুলাহ, ১৯৭১ হচ্ছেঃ সিনেটর পিয়ার্সনের ভাষন S12624 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE July 30, 1971 EAST PAKHSTAN : BIAFRA REVISITEI) Mr. Pearson. Mr. President, continuing disorders in Pakistan have left an estimated 200,000 people dead, created more than 6 million refugees, and severely reduced the prospects for a fall harvest adequate to meet the needs of the people of Fast Pakistan. The spectre of a mass starvation in East Pakistan, far exceeding the death toll of Biafra may become a grim reality this fall. This massive loss of life is made all the more tragic because it can be prevented. In a world with surplus food, death by starvation due to political disputes is the ultimate obscenity perpetrated by man upon man. Although the need for swift action is readily apparent, the distribution of emergency food supplies is not simply a matter of transporting food from Americans to Pakistanis. In order to get the food to the people, normal channels for the distribution of food in affected areas must be reestablished. These channels will not be restored until a series of political accommodations between the Government of Pakistan and dissident elements in the East are reached. Our Government must, in good conscience attempt to use every legitimate means at its disposal to facilitate a political settlement and restore the means to transport available-relief supplies to the people of East Pakistan. The United States is in a moral political dilemma similar to the one encountered during the civil war in Nigeria. On the one hand, it is morally unacceptable for Americans to stand idly by while thousands of people die horrible needless deaths by starvation. On the other hand, we must recognize that exerting pressure on the Government of Pakistan to reach accommodation with opposition forces in the East is direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. Mow, then, do we balance our concern for the people of Pakistan with our desire to refrain from political intervention in the internal affairs of nations around the world? As a general principle of our foreign policy, non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign nations is founded upon two basic ideas. First, Americans are rarely directly affected by internal politics of sovereign nation States. Second, Americans now recognize that their nation's power to intervene around the world is finite; the United States cannot be the arbiter of the disputes of all mankind. In the case of the situation in Pakistan, however, neither of these general principles is valid. The futile deaths by starvation in East Pakistan do have a direct impact upon Americans, perhaps more of an impact than spectacular Byzantine, violent changes of government which occupy the time and energies of diplomats. Each American who is