Morning News ::. May 23

Grains to feed the refugees were, therefore, having, to be bought from local sources, and this was forcing market prices up, said Mr. Mukherjee.

Mr. Mukherjee said there had been rises in price of such other essential items as mustard, oil, salt, and kerosene before the refugees started flowing in. Now the prices were spurting upward again.

He said many of the refugees were taking job locally at rates lower than the going wage. Meanwhile, they continued to get their rations from the refugees camps. But our West Bengalis depend solely on their wages which are going down, out of which they must buy their rations, said Mr. Mukherjee.

People here are very much in sympathy with the refugees, but now that prices are soaring. People are beginning to say they are suffering because of these people.

If the refugees remain huddled on the border for long. There will be social and political problems, and the sympathy of West Bengalis will decrease.

Then the destitutes in these areas will be a firm breeding ground for undesirable people who believe in armed revolution.

The chief minister explained that by undesirables he meant the Naxalites and some Marxist communist party element.

[Back to the Headlines]

China reaffirms pledge of support to Pakistan Govt.

Hong Kong, May 22 (AFP): Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Han Nienlung last night reaffirmed China's pledge of support to the Pakistan Government.

He was speaking at a banquet in Peking given by the Chinese Foreign Ministry to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The Chinese Minister said, "It is by no means accidental that China-Pakistan friendship has developed so smoothy. The most important reason is that both our countries have strictly been guided by the five principles of mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs; mutual benefit and peaceful co-existence and have opposed the imperialist aggression and interference, the New China News Agency reported.

Hen Nien-lung thanked Pakistan for expanding its friendship with China "in defiance of foreign pressure. He said ,"The chinese Government and people have consistently given firm support to the Pakistan Government and people in their just struggle to safeguard state sovereignty and national independence and oppose foreign aggression and interference, and firmly supported the people of Kashmir on their just struggle for the right of self-determination. The facts prove that these friendly relations between us are in accord with fundamental interest of our two peoples and conducive to the common cause of Afro-Asian unity against imperialism.

Pakistan Ambassador K.M. Kaiser said, "Today when our very existence as a nation has been threatened by hostile outside interference in our internal affairs. The People's Republic of China has come out with unflinching and forthright support to our national solidarity, integrity and sovereignty.

"The people and the Government of Pakistan remain indebted to the Chinese Government and people for this firm and resolute support against external interference and aggression. We also remember with deep and sincere appreciation the firm and resolute support that your Government and people gave to us in 1965 when we were subjected to wanton aggression by India".

[Back to the Headlines]

Indian Govt. asked to keep hand off East Pakistan

Islamabad, May 22(APP): The All-India Majlis Ittehad-ul Muslimeen has asked the Indian Govt. to keep its hands off East Pakistan warning it of serious consequences of any precipitous action.

In a resolution adopted by the Majlis at its 45th annual conference in Hayderabad (Deccan) recently, it said that the situation in East Pakistan was an internal affair of Pakistan and, therefore, India had no business to meddle in it."

According to the Indian weekly organiser, the Majlis president, Mr. Abdul Wahid Owaisi said that when India "did not poke its nose at the time of Soviet armed intervention in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland and during the Biafrancrists in Nigeria why should she bother herself now about the happenings in East Pakistan."

He warned the Indian Govt. that if it took any step, every Indian state would come up with the demand for autonomy, resulting in the Balkanisation of the country.

According to the weekly, the Majlis president urged the Indian Muslims to get united to put an end to a state of affairs where the Muslims are treated like slaves, their lives are being taken and their honour and properties being looted.

The Majlis president also demanded the reservation of at least 25 per cent of the seats in Parliament and state legislatures for the Muslims representation to Muslims on population basis in the services.

He also demanded that Aligarh University be given its original status and Urdu be declared as the second official language. The Majlis president further demanded that Usmania University be converted into an Urdu University.

[Back to the Headlines]

Umrao Khan says: People in E. Wing not interested in power transfer at this stage

Lahore, May 22 (APP) : Retired Major-General Umrao Khan, a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, on his return from a 12-day tour of East Pakistan said here yesterday that the people of East Pakistan were not interested in transfer of power at this stage.

Addressing a press conference here, Major-General Umrao Khan said , they (people of East Pakistan) were, however, prepared for setting up a trustworthy, liaison between the people and the Government.

He said the economy of East Pakistan and the communication system had been the particular targets of the "enemy" and needed immediate restoration. The ML authorities were all out to restore the economy to normalcy. The people should now come out to co-operate with the Government, he added.

The retired General said he had been specially impressed by the role of the Armed Forces who saved the country from both "open" and "hidden" enemy against heavy odds. Their mission had been fully achieved. The situation is completely under control and now was the time for reconstruction and the clearance of the miscreants who might be hiding themselves among the multitude of peace loving people in the cities and rural areas. These operation required wholesale cooperation of the people. But the Major obstacle in the way was the propaganda of the enemy that the Awami League was again coming into power in still another fashion.

He said he had seen during this tour that there was a fairly lagre number of patriotic people in East Pakistan and being encouraged they could perform a big role in building up Pakistan as conceived by the Quaid-e-Azamo

The retired General was of the opinion that the recent tragic events in East Pakistan were the result of wrong politics pursued by the past successive governments.

He said now was the time that a thought should be given to the revival of Islami culture and imprinting Pakistan ideology on the minds of the people, particularly the young generation in Pakistan.

[Back to the Headlines]

Kasuri appeals to E. Wing brethren to work together

The three leaders of Pakistan People's Party who concluded their visit to East Pakistan would submit their suggestions to the party's central committee and its chairman for resolving the present crisis in the country, Mr. Mahmud Ali Kasuri, vice-chairman of the PPP said here on Friday, reports APP.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of their departure for Karachi said that the suggestions would be placed before the president if the central committee and the chairman of PPP agreed. Because, Mr. Kasuri said, every person who is in authority in private and political life was equally anxious to "restore normalcy in East Pakistan."

[Back to the Headlines]

With the influx of refugees the central Govt. is trying to rush in food, but it is slow in coming. There are certain transport problems mainly with the railways.

Agricultural yields are low. We have a deficit in foodgrains and have to import huge quantities, said Mr. Mukherjee.

The chief minister said West Bengal was the most populated state in India, with an average of one-third of an acre per head of its 45 million population.

This state is already plagued by grave economic and law and order problems, political murders are a daily occurrence.

He said areas where these economic effects were felt would almost certainly become breeding ground for Naxalites (Maoist revlutionaries) and extremists, in the Marxist communist party (once provoking but now unaligned).

Mr Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, leader of a coalition Government which has only a narrow majority over the Marxist communist party opposition, told Reuter the arrival of more than two million refugees in West Bengal had led to a rise in local prices and a fall in wages.

Calcutta, May 22 (APP/Reuter): The chief minister of West Bengal said here on Thursday he expected the big influx of East Pakistani refugees into the East Indian State to create grave social and political problems.

W. Bengal CM on Influx of refugees