পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৪৫২

এই পাতাটির মুদ্রণ সংশোধন করা হয়েছে, কিন্তু বৈধকরণ করা হয়নি।
বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড
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 Mr. President, our Government and the United Nations must come to understand that the actions of the Pakistan Army on the night of March 25 unleashed the forces in South Asia that have led to war.

 No observer of the situation in South Asia today can come away without the impression that these forces-nationalism and self-determination-can ever be successfully resisted by the force of arms. The right of self-determination for East Bengal for-which the East Bengalis elected Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and for which they now fight and die- will no doubt be attained eventually. Only the form and the circumstances remain in doubt.

 As early as last May, official reports to our Government said that the great bulk of the population of East Bengal had been alienated, perhaps forever, from the central government in West Pakistan. Events since then have more than confirmed the accuracy of these early reports. And because so much blood has been shed, there can be little doubt that the people and leadership of East Bengal will never accept again the political system that prevailed before March 25.

 It is time for all of us to recognize the fact that “Bangladesh” now exists, not only in the minds of the majority of the Bengali people, but in the reality of current events.

 If we truly recognize this fact-and if we are to avoid escalating vast-human suffering and a bloodbath of reprisals throughout East Bengal-the requirements for peace and relief must include the following interrelated steps.

 First, we must seek an immediate standstill cease fire on all fronts sanctioned and supervised under international auspices. A time limit of 15 to 30 days should provide the “cooling off” period necessary to undertake the other diplomatic initiatives necessary to settle the outstanding issues among all parties involved.

 Second, we must seek immediate and simultaneous negotiations between India and Pakistan, and between West Pakistan and its Bengali opposition within East Bengal-led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

 The purpose of the Indo-Pakistan negotiations should be to restore the 1965 Cease-fire agreements on the western front, and to resolve the new issues resulting generally from the current military confrontation. The purpose of the West Pakistani-Bengali negotiations should be to determine the future status of East Bengal, and the circumstances which will permit the voluntary repatriations of the 10 million East Bengali refugees in India.

 And let me stress here, Mr. President, that whatever the future status of East Bengali- whether it be some form of independence or autonomy-it is critical that agreement should be reached between all parties during negotiations for the voluntary repatriation of all opposition political forces. There are “hostages” caught on all sides of this conflict. The Pakistan Army now holds in East Bengali under its control countless Bengali guerrillas and elected Awami League officials. In turn, it is conceivable that the Bengali guerrillas may soon hold within their control elements of the Pakistan Army. In addition,