The Daily
Morning News
29 MAY 1971
News headlines and details from the Daily Morning News.
News Headlines:
- Pakistan does not want war with India, says Agha Hilaly.
- 49 tons of milk powder airlifted for E. Pak refugees.
- World Bank sending team to assess our aid requirements.
- Restoration of FAO programme in E. Pakistan.
- The fate that Sheikh Mujib had prepared for Muslims of E. Wing.
- E. Pakistan fast recovering from 'man-
made' calamity—Yahya Khan.
Other Headlines:
- Indian Army put on alert.
- Normalcy in all sectors of activity in Comilla.
Washington, May 28 (APP-
Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Hilaly criticised Indian PM Indira Gandhi's call on Wednesday for big power intervention in East Pakistan, saying that India was trying to "internationalise" an internal problem.
Mr. Hilaly said his Govt. has already moved towards reestablishing law and order and restoring rule in the eastern region to facilitate the return of the refugees, who fled during the fighting.
He said he could not provide exact figures of the number of East Pakistanis who fled to bordering states in India.
He added, however, that Indian estimates that there are 3,500,000 refugees in India were exaggerated. Saying that Indian officials have been trying to use the refugee question as a political instrument, the ambassador added: It is unfortunate that our relations with India do not seem to be improving. It is a matter of great regret to us that inflammatory statements have been made. "I am not threatening war with India", he said.
"We do not want war, it is not the right way to settle this problem. It would create new problems and compound the difficulty of securing a reasonable settlement, he added.
The ambassador added that the refugee problem was a humanitarian one and should be treated as such.
Yahya has publicly announced that the refugees who fled in terror would be welcome back, Mr. Hilaly said. But he said those who were found guilty of looting and other crimes would be punished, Mr. Hilaly said that there are adequate food supplies in East Pakistan for three months but Pakistan would need more when the refugees begin to return. He said Pakistan faces a difficult financial situation because exports from East Pakistan have been halted.
The ambassador announced that a joint World Bank and international monetary fund team would arrive in Pakistan on June 1, to assess his country's financial needs and to make recommendations to the International Consortium which meets in July.
Mr. Hilaly expressed reservations about the forthcoming visit of Mr. Jaya Prakash
Narayan, a noted Indian pacificist and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. An Indian Embassy
spokesman said, Mr, Narayan was expected in the United States early next month as
part of a world tour. Mr. Hilaly said that Mr. Narayan was not sympathetic to Pakistan.
"We have noticed time and again when it comes to Pakistan, he is not at all pacificist",
he said, "We do not think he has exercised his good offices in Indo-
New Delhi, May 28 (APP-
Another 395 tons is being taken by road to the state of Assam and the territories of Tripura and Meghalaya.
Islamabad, May 28: The Annual Plan Coordination Committee concluded its two-
The committee's recommendations in regard to the size and targets of the Annual Development
Programme for the next financial year (1971-
The recommendations cover the production targets in agriculture and Industry, export targets, investment targets, the policies to stimulate private sector and reconstruction and rehabilitation programme for East Pakistan.
The recommendations aim at maximum production, maximum employment and generation of maximum income for the common man. The Annual Plan Coordination Committee had two sessions today.
The committee discussed the broad strategy of the annual plan for the fiscal year
1971-
It was felt during the last two to three months that certain priorities and projects
orginally envisaged to be included in the annual plan for 1971-
Today's meeting of the Apec discussed the sectoral allocations, with a view to achieving the maximum benefits from the general resources because of loss of revenue, a decline in production, and reduction in the nationwide exports while the exports from East Pakistan have suffered during the last three month. The West Pakistan exports went up by nearly twenty per cent so far, as compared to the corresponding period last year.
The A.P.C.C. has also considered and appeoved the targets to be attained in various sectors, as well as the public sector plans for social welfare schemes.
The Annual Development Plan a recommended by the A.P.C.C. is expected to go to the National Economic Council which is a supreme body in the country on matters of economic policy. The president is the chairman of the council.
The meeting was attended by Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, secretaries of Finance,
Agriculture, Planning, Commerce, and Economic Co-
Islamabad, May 28: Mr. Ahsan Uddin, FAO's Assistant Director General for Asian and for Eastern Affairs and regional representative for Asia and the far East, has arrived in Pakistan to hold discussions with the Pakistan authorities to restore FAO programme in East Pakistan in view of the rapidly improving conditions there.
Mr. Ahsan Uddin has already held discussions here with Mr. M.M. Ahmed, Economic Adviser to the President, Mr. M.M. Sufi, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission and the secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture.
Karachi, May 28 (APP): Any impartial observer of Pakistan's Political scene would be struck with amazement at the callousness and cynicism with which Shikh Mujib threw away the chance of a life time to rule over the whole of Pakistan, the Radio Pakistan commentary said here yesterday.
Everything was in his favour. He had been hailed as the future PM of Pakistan. He had an absolute majority in the National Assembly. He could pass an exclusively AL constitution and form an exclusively AL Govt. and rule over the whole of Pakistan, and redress every single grievance East Pakistan may have been nursing.
But let us see what did he do in the last scene of the final act as the political drama in Dacca drew to a close. First, the six points, on the basis of which he had fought the elections, were now relegated to the background. Instead, four new points now emerged including an immediate lifting of ML and an instant transfer of power.
So far his stand has been that there should be no negotiations outside the National Assembly.
In fact, he had launched a movement of non-
When it was pointed out to him that power could only be transferred in the National Assembly which should first meet to pass an interim constitution and present it to the president for assent, he replied that the president should issue a proclamation handing over all power to him and ending ML.
It was explained to him that such a power transfer would be without legal sanction since it would have neither the cover of ML nor be neither the cover of ML nor be backed up by the will of the people. A constitutional vacuum would be created and chaos would ensue. But he refused to see reason.
If his demands be met, it would have meant the eclipse of ML, the disintegration of central authority and the emergence of not two but five sovereign states in Pakistan.
The Sheikh had sought to achieve the same objective when he later told the president that the NA should sit initially in two separate committees one for East Pakistan an and the other for, West Pakistan. The demand for two committees later still grew into a demand for two constitutional conventions, producing two separate constitutions, Sheikh Mujib had told the political leaders from West Pakistan that he wanted not a federation; as the six points were said to envisage but a confederation. Implicit in this demand of two constitutions were two sovereign states.
His intention was now clear when the hard core of the Awami leadership realised that neither the president nor the other political parties would agree to a constitutional settling of Pakistani. The trap began to be sprung. East Pakistan was to be torn away from Pakistan by force and in collusion with India. This was the fate that the Sheikh had prepared for the Muslims of East Pakistan, the very people who had been in the vanguard of the movement.
The Muslims of East Pakistan for the creation of Pakistan massively voted for Pakistan to escape Hindu tyranny and exploitation and the Sheikh now proposed to lead them back under Indian overlordship again.
Karachi, May 28 (APP): East Pakistan is fast recovering from what president Yahya
Khan has described as a man-
Indeed as the president said, the economy of East Pakistan had suffered a grievous
blow at the hands of those whom the nation had chosen as its future rulers in democratic
set-
All this damage to quote the president's words that left the economy in bad shapes and has to be repaired with the utmost efficiency and speed. The main task now is to normalise food supplies throughout the province and for this purpose, the transport system has to be reactivated. It is indeed very heartening to note that the Army authorities have assigned for priority to the task of bringing the communication system back to the rails. Extensive work is being undertaken to build new roads and bridges and to repair those that have been damaged. Sizeable funds have been placed at the disposal of the East Pakistan Govt. to help in the urgent task of revitalising the communication channels.
Till such time however as the land communication system is fully restored the distribution of road supplies has to be carried put principally by water transport.
All available rivercraft are being mobilised for this purpose. In addition, the Govt. has requested the United Nations to extend help in this connection through the renting or acquisition of 15 coastal craft of 1,000 tons, an equal number of 500 tons and by supplying an adequate number of land vehicles, including trucks.
Foreign aid
In the broad talks of rehabilitating the economy of the province, the Govt. has expressed
its willingness to accept foreign assistance purely on humanitarian grounds. The
Pakistan representative to the UN Mr. Agha Shahi has informed the UN Secretary General
U Thant that while international assistance would be administered by Pakistan relief
agencies. The Govt. was prepared to associate a Un representative to co-
This is a it should be for , no Govt. could possibly allow any outside agency to take charge of relief operations within its territory without compromising its independence of action. There is no doubt that the present economic situation in East Pakistan can be tackled by a total mobilization of national effort which alone would guarantee ultimate success. As the president said , everyone has to work hard to revive the economy and to ensure that not a single person dies of starvation in the Eastern Wing.
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