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AMBASSADOR OF INDIA
WASHINGTON, D.C.
#444
The
-2-
War could also have been avoided if the power,
influence and authority of all the States and above all
the United States, had got Sheikh Mujibur Rahman released.
Instead, we were told that a civilian administration was
being installed. Everyone knows that this civilian
administration was a farce; today the farce has turned
into a tragedy.
Lip service was paid to the need for a
political solution, but not a single worthwhile step was
taken to bring this about. Instead, the rulers of
West Pakistan went ahead holding farcical elections to
seats which had been arbitrarily declared vacant.
There was not even a whisper that anyone from
the outside world, had tried to have contact with Mujibur
Rahman. Our earnest plea that Sheikh Muj ibur Rahman
should be released, or that, even if he were to be kept
under detention, contact with him might be established,
was not considered practical on the ground that the US
could not urge policies which might lead to the overthrow
of President Yahya Khan. While the United States
recognised that Mujib was a core factor in the situation
and that unquestionably in the long run Pakistan must
acquiesce in the direction of greater autonomy for East
Pakistan, arguments were advanced to demonstrate the
fragility of the situation and of Yahya Khan's difficulty.
Mr. President, may I ask you in all sincerity:
Was the release or even secret negotiations with a single
human being, namely, Sheikh ibur Rahman, more
disastrous than the waging of a war?
The fact of the matter is that the rulers of
West Pakistan got away with the impression that they
could do what they liked because no one, not even the
United States, would choose to take a public position
that while Pakistan's integrity was certainly sacrosanct,
human rights, liberty were no less so and that there was
a necessary inter-connection between the inviolability
of States and the contentment of their people.
Mr. President, despite the continued defiance
by the rulers of Pakistan of the most elementary facts
of life, we would still have tried our hardest to restrain
the mounting pressure as we had for nine long months, and
war could have been prevented had the rulers of Pakistan
not launched a massive attack on us by bombing our
airfields in Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Avantipur,
Utterlai, Jodhpur, Ambala and Agra in the broad day light
on December 3, 1971 at a time when I was away in Calcutta,
my colleague, the Defence Minister, was in Patna and was
due to leave further for Bangalore in the South and
another senior colleague of mine, the Finance Minister,
was in Bombay. The fact that this initiative was taken
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"ocrText": "AMBASSADOR OF INDIA\nWASHINGTON, D.C.\n#444\nThe\n-2-\nWar could also have been avoided if the power,\ninfluence and authority of all the States and above all\nthe United States, had got Sheikh Mujibur Rahman released.\nInstead, we were told that a civilian administration was\nbeing installed. Everyone knows that this civilian\nadministration was a farce; today the farce has turned\ninto a tragedy.\nLip service was paid to the need for a\npolitical solution, but not a single worthwhile step was\ntaken to bring this about. Instead, the rulers of\nWest Pakistan went ahead holding farcical elections to\nseats which had been arbitrarily declared vacant.\nThere was not even a whisper that anyone from\nthe outside world, had tried to have contact with Mujibur\nRahman. Our earnest plea that Sheikh Muj ibur Rahman\nshould be released, or that, even if he were to be kept\nunder detention, contact with him might be established,\nwas not considered practical on the ground that the US\ncould not urge policies which might lead to the overthrow\nof President Yahya Khan. While the United States\nrecognised that Mujib was a core factor in the situation\nand that unquestionably in the long run Pakistan must\nacquiesce in the direction of greater autonomy for East\nPakistan, arguments were advanced to demonstrate the\nfragility of the situation and of Yahya Khan's difficulty.\nMr. President, may I ask you in all sincerity:\nWas the release or even secret negotiations with a single\nhuman being, namely, Sheikh ibur Rahman, more\ndisastrous than the waging of a war?\nThe fact of the matter is that the rulers of\nWest Pakistan got away with the impression that they\ncould do what they liked because no one, not even the\nUnited States, would choose to take a public position\nthat while Pakistan's integrity was certainly sacrosanct,\nhuman rights, liberty were no less so and that there was\na necessary inter-connection between the inviolability\nof States and the contentment of their people.\nMr. President, despite the continued defiance\nby the rulers of Pakistan of the most elementary facts\nof life, we would still have tried our hardest to restrain\nthe mounting pressure as we had for nine long months, and\nwar could have been prevented had the rulers of Pakistan\nnot launched a massive attack on us by bombing our\nairfields in Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Avantipur,\nUtterlai, Jodhpur, Ambala and Agra in the broad day light\non December 3, 1971 at a time when I was away in Calcutta,\nmy colleague, the Defence Minister, was in Patna and was\ndue to leave further for Bangalore in the South and\nanother senior colleague of mine, the Finance Minister,\nwas in Bombay. The fact that this initiative was taken"
}