পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (দ্বাদশ খণ্ড).pdf/২০৪

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বাংরাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ দ্বাদশ খণ্ড
১৭৮
শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ
কোলকাতার জনসভায় প্রধানমন্ত্রী ইন্দিরা গান্ধীর বক্তৃতা[১] “দি ইয়ার্স অফ এণ্ডীভার” ৩ ডিসেম্বর, ১৯৭১

WE SHALL SUCCEED

 YOU ARE ALL aware that we are facing a new crisis. The people of Bengal and the rest of the country had stood by us and returned us to power in the last general election. We had imagined that all obstacles in the way of our progress had been removed and we shall work hard to build up a strong country. But soon after, a tragic event happened which cast a big burden on our people, although we were in on way involved in it. In the beginning, it was purely an economic burden. The large influx of refugees from East Bengal seriously affected the lives of the people in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura and increased their hardships. We imagined that we shall have to bear this burden for only a few days and we shall be able to do so easily with the help of other countries. But the help we received was meagre compared to what was necessary. If some people offered help, they were not in the least worried about the causes of the crises why a huge mass of people were quitting their homes and coming to us like a river in flood. No disease can be cured unless it is correctly diagnosed. What is to be done if, without caring to find out the cause of the influx, we try to stop it? We told the truth and others agreed with us, but nobody did anything in the matter.

 To understand the present crises, we have to go into its historical background and find out how Pakistan was formed. The battle for freedom was fought in the whole country-also in the region now called Pakistan. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, better known as Frontier-Gandhi, and Abdul Samad khan, who was called Baluch Gandhi, took part in the fight for freedom. But when Pakistan was formed, it was not these leaders of the people who came to power. In India, the freedom fighters won the elections and set up their Government. But in Pakistan. They remained behind prison walls and those who were cooperating with the British set up their Government. They held positions in the Army or other offices. There was a basic difference in our ideologies. We were anxious then and are so even now that we should have the best of friendly relations with our new neighbor-now that Pakistan had come into being. It is not good for any country to be always quarrelling with a neighbor. But whenever we extended our hand of friendship, we were faced with a closed fist on the other side and also an atmosphere of tension. We believe that the reason for this was that several countries were encouraging Pakistan to do so. If the big powers, which were friendly to Pakistan, had advised it in the very beginning not to fight with India, Pakistan would not have taken up the posture of war. Pakistan had neither the strength nor the courage to go to war with us. But they did so because they were getting help and war materials from abroad. Even when they went to war with us. they got all encouragement from their friends. They were not branded as aggressors with the result that they did not change their ways. The result of all this was that despite its friendship with Big powers. Pakistan could not become a strong power. It grew weaker.


  1. From a public speech at Calcutta, December 3, 1971.