| শিরনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| পাকিস্তানের প্রেসিডেণ্ট কর্তৃক ভারতের বিরুদ্ধে যুদ্ধ ঘোষণার হুমকির পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে আলোচনা এবং পররাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রীর বিবৃতি | রাজ্যসভার কার্য বিবরণী | ২১ জুলাই,১৯৭১ |
CALLING ATTENTION TO A MATTER
OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
(Reported Thereat of the President of)
(Pakistan to Declare War on India)
SHRI N. G. GORAY (Maharashtra): Sir, with your permission, I beg to call the attention of the Minister of External Affairs to the reported threat of the President of Pakistan to declare war on India and the reaction of the Government of India thereto.
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SARDAR SWARAN SINGH): Mr. Chairman, sir President Yahya Khan is reported to have said that “if India made any attempt to seize any part of East Pakistan; he will declare war.
Pakistan has been trying for some time to mislead the world into thinking that the situation in Bangladesh is a matter between Pakistan and India whereas in fact it is a matter between the military rulers of West Pakistan and the people of Bangladesh. It is the Pakistan regime's own actions, and the brutalities committed by the Pakistan Army in Bangladesh, that have landed Pakistan in a morass in Bangladesh. Only a settlement with the already elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh will enable the military rulers of Pakistan to extricate themselves from this morass.
So long as Pakistan does not recognize this, the activities of the Bangladesh freedom fighters will continue and increase. When the freedom fighters succeed in liberating territory in Bangladesh and Pakistan uses it as a pretext for attacking us, them I must make it cleat that we are ready to defend ourselves.
We have no desire to seize any part of Pakistan. President Yahya Khan is either trying to mislead his people and the world at large or preparing them for an aggression against India by making such unwarranted any baseless statements.
SHRI N. G CORAY: Sir, I have raised this question because it comes at a time when we have to rethink about the whole strategy. I would like to point out first that General Yahya Khan has minced no words when he gave the interview to Mr. Neville Maxwell, the author, whom we know very well. He said that if India attempted to step up its interference in East Bangla, he would declare a general war and let the world take note of it. I would like to know from the Minister of External Affairs whether he has tried to understand the implications of this threat. Only a few days back our Defense Minister assured the whole country that so far as weapon-to-weapon is concerned India is very well prepared, but this assurance by him seems to have created no impact or no impression on General Yahya Khan. He has been bold enough to say: “I will declare a general war and he further goes on to point out: “I am not alone".
