পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৮৭৯

এই পাতাটির মুদ্রণ সংশোধন করা প্রয়োজন।

851 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড interested in the whole truth, the representatives of the Bangladesh Government should be heard. Why should it depart from this tradition? Any objective consideration would show that the conditions necessary for the restoration of peace and the return of millions of refugees can be created only through the withdrawal of West Pakistan forces. It is cruel to expect that these refugees who have suffered so much at the hands of the West Pakistani forces should contemplate return to their homeland while it is still under their occupation. So far as the armed forces of India are concerned, there can be a cease-fire and withdrawal of India's forces to its own territory, if the rulers of West Pakistan would withdraw their own forces from Bangladesh and reach a peaceful settlement with those who were until recently their fellow-citizens, but now owe allegiance to the Government of Bangladesh which has been duly constituted by the representatives chosen freely in the elections held in December, 1970. Merely to express a wish for the return of the refugees without taking into account the necessary pre-conditions is to show a callous disregard for the immense suffering which these people have endured. The Government of India is prepared to consider the call for cease-fire. Indeed, India concluded cease-fire agreements with Pakistan in 1948 and 1965. Neither gave assurance of continued peace. The last one of 1965, which was followed by a solemn Inter-State agreement signed at Tashkent, failed to bring about the peaceful relations we so ardently desire. India feels legitimately aggrieved that in calling for a cease-fire, the United Nations makes no distinction between the aggressor and its victims. It is, therefore, necessary to restate the facts. On 3rd December, 1971, when Prime Minister of India was in Calcutta, the Defense Minister in Patna and the Finance Minister in Bombay, Pakistan's armed forces launched aggression against India. On that day, around 5-30 p.m., the Air Force of Pakistan made simultaneous attacks on India's airfields in the following towns: Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Avantipur, Uttarlai, Jodhpur, Ambala, and Agra. The West Pakistan army opened an attack by continuous shelling of our defensive positions on a wide front including Sulaimanki, Khem Karan, Poonch and other sector. The Government of West Pakistan has alleged that India had attacked at 12 noon, but since there was no basis whatever for their allegation they could obviously not mention the places. There are uncontested facts. India, which is exercising the inherent right of self-defense, cannot be equated with Pakistan. India is a victim of yet another unprovoked Pakistani aggression and is engaged in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity in the exercise of its legitimate right of selfdefense. There is one other consideration of fundamental importance which India would like to urge: International Law recognizes that where a mother-State has irrevocably lost allegiance of such a large section of its people as represented by Bangladesh and cannot bring them under its sway, conditions for the separate existence of such a State comes into being. It is India's assessment that this is precisely what has happened in Bangladesh. The overwhelming majority of the elected representatives of Bangladesh have