community about one of the most important issues that confront us, namely the developments in Bangladesh. As you are no doubt aware, in the initi8al stages there was a tendency to find an easy escape in the various Chanceries and an attitude was generally taken that the question of Bangla Desh is essentially an internal question and an internal matter for Pakistan. But as the genocidal activities of the military authorities gathered in momentum, the forces of oppression were let loose and unleashed against the unarmed civilians and the democrative forces of Bangladesh, this resulted in suppression of human rights and fundamental freedoms and caused such conditions of insecurity that a large volume of forced exodus took place. The situation which initially was sought to be brushed aside as an internal development presented a facet which made it obviously a matter of international concern. Slowly but surely, the international community wakeup to the fundamental and basic issues involved and there was a great measure of response to the reality of the situation and a growing awareness of the risks involved. In various capitals as a result of visits of my colleagues and myself, when the situation was explained, the statements-some joint statements, sometimes official statements-from a large number of those capitals were issued which pin-pointed the essentials of a situation, namely, the humanitarian aspect of the problem and also the necessity, an inescapable necessity of working out a solution which creates conditions for the return of these refugees to their homes and hearths in conditions of safety and in conditions of honor.
Now, if we carefully examine even the trend of the debate in the United Nations General Assembly, it is noteworthy that the Four Big Powers who are permanent members of the Security Council with the right of veto, their spokesmen, their Foreign Minister, with varying degrees of phraseology, which is not uncommon experience when the same concept is presented, have broadly accepted the essentials of the situation. And the essentials are a continuing forced exodus of helpless people and their being pushed on to the Indian territory, the resultant burden, not only economic but social and political tensions resulting from the presented of these large number of refugees in an arca which has always been both economically and politically a sensitive area; and as a necessary corollary to these two, solution can only be found by creation of conditions, in Bangladesh which might facilitate the return of these refugees. We have made it abundantly clear, and I have a feeling that this is now growingly understood and appreciated and in certain cases endorsed by the other countries that the political solution is the solution which will be acceptable to the elected, representatives of the people; a solution to be acceptable has to be acceptable to the people of Bangladesh and that people of Bangla Desh have in unmistakable terms expressed their confidence and expressed their reliance upon Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League whom they returned with unprecedented electoral victory giving as many as 167 out of 169 seats in the National Assembly. These are the essentials of the situation and amongst the four permanent members of the Security Council-the Soviet Union, United States of America, France as well as Britain-these essentials are broadly accepted and statements to that effect have been made by their representatives in the Security Council. Foreign Ministers of several other countries, particularly those where democratic institutions are functioning, and also the socialist countries representatives, have also openly made statements endorsing the Indian appreciation of the essentials of the situation.
