পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (পঞ্চদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৩১১

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ পঞ্চদশ খন্ড
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course had more far reaching implications for the rest of the world. But it served as a victory of sorts for the Bangladesh lobbying effort since it effectively cut off all fresh commitments of U.S. aid to Pakistan, amongst other U.S. aid recipients.

 This victory was however not enough to restrain the U.S. administration from finding other loopholes to get their aid through to Pakistan. By then the Nixon administration had amongst its NATO allies become the sole bulwark of support for the Yahya administration. The need to sustain our lobbying effort in Congress and amongst the U.S. public was thus essential component of the strategy to at least contain the excesses of the U.S. administration on their commitment to the Pak junta.

 Whilst the lobbying Washington continued. the donors aid consortium to Pakistan still remained an important arena of influence. The annual World Bank IMF meeting held in October, 1971 in the Sheraton Hotel in Washington became another target for our efforts. Although aid to Pakistan was not an item on the agenda of the meeting, we had been advised by friends that Pakistan would use the occasion to meet with the consortium to seek a rescheduling of its debts servicing obligations and seck once again to line up fresh commitments. A.M.A. Muhith and myself put together a fresh document spelling out Pakistan's circumstances and the case for refraining from any fresh relief to Pakistan just when the liberation war was reaching a critical stage.

 Muhith and myself took on the task of tackling the different delegations from the Consortium countries who were attending the meeting, to place our literature to them and to talk with them. Our efforts inside were on one day assisted by Prof. Nurul Islam who flew in from Yale where he was based. Outside the hotel BIC group had organised small demonstration. Amongst others Joan Dine, accompanied by her baby Amy, still in her pram, participated, on one occasion Muhith found himself linked with the demonstration outside the hotel and was evicted by the security guards from the premises of the Sheraton. Fortunately, I was at a distance from these proceedings and managed to rescue the bundle of literature with Muhith to resume our lobbying efforts within the hotel.

 It was again a peculiar experience for us, trying to buttonhole delegates in the rooms and lobbys of the hotel in order to press our case. Some gave as a hearing. others avoided us. We had some strange encounters. On one such occasion I ran into an old classmate from Cambridge after all of 18 years, Shah pour Shirazi who was then Governor of the Bank Markazi in Iran. I used the occasion to question him on the subject of the Shah of Iran's Military aid to Pakistan. Shahpour claimed that the Shah had interceded with Yahya to prevent the execution of Bangabandhu. I have no way of verifying the truth of this statement.

 On another occasion we met through another friend from Cambridge, Lal Jayewardene, who was then Secretary, Economic Affairs in the Govt. of Sri Lanka. Lal arranged a meeting for Prof. Islam and myself with the Trotskyite, Finance Minister of Sri Lanka, N.M. Perera. We took him to task for Sri Lanka's provision of landing rights to PIA and the Pakistan Air force to facilitate their carriage of arms and troops to Bangladesh. He denied this and promised to see that landing rights were not thus abused. Again I cannot vouch for his success in making good his promise.