পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (দ্বাদশ খণ্ড).pdf/২০৫

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বাংরাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ দ্বাদশ খণ্ড
১৭৯

 We are all Indians though we speak different languages and profess different faiths. To whatever state we belong, we are all citizens of this country engaged in the common endeavor of taking it forward towards progress. What binds men of different religions, habits, dress and languages are some high ideals. Religion and language cannot bind any people in the world of today. We have to get over these. Religion is good and everyone must adhere to his religion. But you cannot build up a nation and keep the people united, on the basis of religion. We said this at the time of the formation of Pakistan but neither the British nor others listened to us them and Pakistan came into being. But we saw from the very beginning that in Pakistan, the people of one religion committed atrocities on the minorities belonging to a different religion.

 Another thing that was happening in Pakistan and which the world overlooked was that even those who were in a religious majority in the country were being oppressed. We knew it but we could not interfere in the affairs of another country. But the situation could not last long and in the end this has weakened Pakistan. If Pakistan has become weak, it is not because we wanted it. It has become weak because other nations helped it in pursuing wrong policies, which were probably in their own interest and not in the interest of Pakistan. We had leaders who followed policies which were in the national interest and stuck to them firmly.

 Our development plans are in progress but, in the meanwhile, a big burden has been cast on us. The burden is economic because the number of refugees is very large. The influx has also created social, administrative and political problems. But the most important thing is the danger it poses to our security. It might develop into a big danger.

 You are aware that we have rehabilitated all the refugees who came to us so far. We did so although we are a poor country and received meagre help from outside. We become worried as the danger to our security slowly increased. Across the border between west Bengal and East Bengal, there was the Border security force on our side and East Bengal or the East Pakistan Rifles on the other side but they had changed their name and called themselves the Mukti Bahini.

 At this stage, Pakistan moved its forces towards our borders; in the west they moved further towards Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. When their forces reached the Kashmir border, we drew the attention of U.N. observers towards this. They told us that the Pakistani forces were carrying out training exercises. Who could believe it? Could a country, which had been the victim of Pakistani aggression thrice, believe it? The danger to our security increased but we took no steps for ten days. After ten days, we also moved our forces forward. As long as we had not moved our forces towards our borders, no country in the world, big or small, took note of the presence of Pakistani forces on our borders. They were not worried about the danger posed to our security and that they should do something. No opinions were expressed about it. But when our forces moved forward, not on another’s territory but on our own, some world powers raised a furore that peace was in peril and they began saying that both the countries should withdraw their forces. Now could we agree to this? No Government with any sense of responsibility, no minister or any officer could endanger the security of the country and