The Daily
Morning News
24 AUGUST 1971
News headlines and details from the Daily Morning News.
News Headlines:
- Flood situation in Faridpur, Dacca and Kushtia worsens.
- Govt. assures full protection to MNAs & MPAs-
elect. - Resistance against saboteurs growing in East Pakistan.
- Bhutto to meet Yahya tomorrow.
- Mahmud Ali says: Western press totally misled Pakistanis living in Europe, America.
Other Headlines:
- White paper on East Pak. crisis.
East Pakistan fortnight-
The situation however, continues to worsen in Faridpur and Southern part of Dacca, the reports added.
More areas continue to go under water through the broken breaches on to Potuakhali embankment in Faridpur and Mobarak Bandh in Kushtia although the rise in water level has been static in these districts.
From 51 police stations now affected in this province stands at 60 in the five districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Kushtia, Faridpur and Dacca.
According to estimates prepared by the Deputy commissioner of these districts about 3,50,000 houses have been destroyed completely or partially.
Meanwhile water level in four major rivers recorded a slight rise while it remained static elsewhere.
EPRTC's coach services to the Northern districts and PIA's domestic service between Dacca and Ishurdi continue to remain suspended.
Kushtia
A report from Kushtia said that as both Ganges and the Gorai continue to rise unabated most of the district was in the grip of an unprecedented flood.
The situation in Kushtia town further deteriorated.
Courtpara and Housing Estate were submerged where boats were the only means of transport.
The inmates of the T and T colony were worst hit. People were vacating ground floor and houses located in low lying areas. They were being evacuated to safer places on the high road.
Many have taken shelter in the Dak-
According to an EPWAPDA source considerable damage has been done to the GK Calals particularly tertiary and field channels.
Real picture of damage in details would emerge only when water receded and the interior were accessible.
There was, however, no report of loss of human life so far. Relief and anti-
The Government of East Pakistan has assured full protection to MNAs-
A spokesman of the provincial government said here today that these members of National and provincial Assemblies, as elected representatives of their constituencies should not hesitate to come forward and assume the responsibilities that they owe to their electorate in the difficult times that the nation is facing.
The spokesman further said that cases of all MNAs and MPAs who were elected on the
defunct Awami League ticket, were thoroughly scrutinized and nothing was found against
the 88 MNAs-
London, Aug. 23 (APP): Mr. Mahmud Ali, vice-
Addressing a meeting of students of London University at Holborn Town Hall Friday evening he said people now did not distinguish between Indian intruders and the native collaborators.
He maintained people would not have voted for Awami League had not its leaders repeatedly pledged to keep Pakistan united. Subsequently, he continued, people had realised the nefarious designs of Awami League leadership when they saw armed infiltrators from India on Pakistan soil.
Mr. Mahmud Ali asserted only a United Pakistan could bring about emancipation of the people of East Pakistan whose numerical majority would have its natural bearing in every walk of national life when democracy was restored.
He added secession of East Pakistan would lead to enslavement of 75 million people.
Earlier narrating the history of democratic movement in Pakistan PDP leaders from
East Pakistan regretted that shortsightedness and selfish designs of some over-
Begum Akhter Sulaiman in her speech said the Awami League founded by her father late Mr. Shurawardy was an all Pakistan organisation. She said Shurawardy was one of the makers of Pakistan and served it to the last day of his life.
She said she received the shock of her life when she saw Pakistan's flag was defied,
burned and replaced with so-
Karachi, Aug. 23 (PPI): The chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Mr. Z.A.Bhutto will meet president Yahya Khan in Rawalpindi on August 25, Party source told PPI here today.
The meeting will be a follow-
Mr. Bhutto will discuss with the president various issues and problems confronting
the country. PPP leaders, who are likely to company Mr. J.A. Rahim, Secretary General,
Mian Mahmud Ali Kasuri, MNA-
The PPP chief is Scheduled to leave for Rawalpindi tomorrow and is expected to return towards the end of this month.
APP adds: Mr. Bhutto said he was holding important consultations with the members of the team on matters like political situation in the country, constitution and economic conditions.
He said these were important problems with which the country was faced and he wanted that his team should be fully prepared on these national issues. The country, he added, was passing through a very critical period and it was in the fitness of things that every body should be well prepared to help solve the problems.
London, Aug. 23 (APP): Mr. Mohamud Ali, a PDP leader of East Pakistan said in an interview here recently that the Western press had totally misled the Pakistanis living in Europe and America on East Pakistan crisis and they "could not even imagine what the other side of the picture is."
"I have talked to hundreds of them quite a number of them made it clear that until now they were in darkness."
Mr. Ali gave the impressions of his tour of Western Europe and the United States and analysed the causes and complaints of the people mainly from East Pakistan. He bitterly remarked; "Whatever is favourable to Pakistan is completely blacked out and whatever is against our country is spotlighted."
Mr. Mahmud Ali and prominent East Pakistani leader Mr. Hamidul Huq Chowdhury made a joint tour of United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Geneva and Canada. Mr. Chowdhury left for Geneva on his way home from London, but Mr. Ali Stayed back and addressed the marathon meeting in Trafalgar Square on August 15. He also visited Chatham, Luton. Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and other towns where Pakistanis are concentrated.
Besides addressing public meetings he had group discussions with East Pakistanis
who are being pressurised by the activities of the so-
Mr. Mahmud Ali said that he found a "genuine misunderstanding" among East Pakistanis on the following issues, which he sought to remove.
The complaint that East Pakistanis were demanding autonomy, but West Pakistan, supported by the army, was not prepared to accept this demand."
I told them that the West Pakistani leaders as well as the Government had conceded the demand for autonomy.
Mr. Ali emphatically said; "The issue is no more the autonomy for the province. Autonomy is not an issue of dispute any more and all leaders of public opinion in West Pakistan favour autonomy for the provinces. What is under dispute is the secession issue which no patriotic Pakistani will be prepared to concede."
Mr. Mahmud Ali said that he had frankly told the people of East Pakistan that the
so-
Mr. Ali reminded the Bengalis that during the last 24 years, about 80 Jute mills had been installed in Pakistan, steel mill, fertilizer factories, a huge dockyard and other industries had come into existence. The whole of East Pakistan is being manned by Bengali officers. A number of high posts in the centre were also given to people of East Pakistan and slowly they were entering Armed services "whatever was being done for Bengalis could not have been done but for Pakistan." So far as their handicaps were concerned, "We ourselves are also responsible for them."
Mr. Ali said that the second complaint voiced by the East Pakistanis was that although the Awami League had won a majority in the general elections, its right to rule was not conceded, instead it was suppressed.
Mr. Ali replied that the constituent Assembly was elected to frame a constitution. After the constitution have been framed, the power could have been transferred to it under the constitution. But the majority party refused to fulfil the first pledge and did not agree to make a constitution. How could it expect to get power?
The third point that is now being raised is that no political solution is possible without restoring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. To this question the answer is that no solution could be acceptable unless it was a solution based on the concept of a United Pakistan. Anyone who seeks of a "solution" must do so on the basis of one and United Pakistan."
Refugees
A lot of noise is being made about the large number of refugee that have crossed into India. It is stated that this exodus was "proof positive of the atrocities of the army." Mr. Ali said those who raised such issues had no appreciation of the conditions that existed at the time when the army took action. The army had to face Indian weapons and even personnel. Infiltration and sabotage was going on. When action was taken against these elements panic was natural which made people leave their homes.
Mr. Mahmud Ali said that these ideas were propagated among the people undoubtedly by the Western mass media. Reporters who had packed of from Dacca on March 25 were probably nursing a grievance against Pakistan.
Meanwhile, India took advantage of the situation and very efficiently and effectively used its huge propaganda machinery. India geared up all its contacts in foreign countries and presented a distored picture of events.
All their reports could not but be hearsay evidence and yet it "Baffles imagination how readers could be so credulous as not to consider these reports with some reservation."
Asked how this propaganda onslaught could be met. Mr. Ali said "our object should be to tell the truth. Truth must be repeated day after day and that is what we are trying to do."
Mr. Mahmud Ali hopes to stay in UK until August 24.
Profile of Bengal