Pakistan problems
Sir: The Press Counsellor of the Pakistan High Commission in London has informed your readers that his government had set up several camps in East Bengal for refugees returning from India, and that these camps had recently been visited by the British parliamentary delegation (July 10). Obviously, being a clever press officer, he had to stop just short of quoting the views of any of the MPs. Though already well-publicised, I would like to quote them again so that your readers may realize that all these are Pakistani propaganda — hollow and bluff — devoid of any sincere desire of getting back the refugees (a British MP, not a member of any delegation, has already called such dispatches " drivel "). Mr Tobby Jessel told the journalists in Dacca on June 28: " From what I've seen and heard from reliable sources, I could not put my hand on my heart and tell refugees to come back. I am sure it is not safe for Hindus who may be attacked by the army, nor for anyone who was actively connected with the Awami League. But I doubt whether any Bengali is really safe, because the army is • trigger-happy and arbitrary."
Mr Arthur Bottomley said on his return to London: "This was one of the most harrowing experiences I have ever had . . . and comparable with the Second World War." Mr Reg Prentice has gone further. In an article entitled 'The repression of Bengal' (Sunday Times, July 11), he has urged that all countries should stop economic aid to Pakistan and has condemned the American government for continuing arms supply to President Yahya Khan. A responsible Labour MP, who was once the Minister of Overseas Development, must have been terribly perturbed by what he saw to conclude his article with the words: "We may not have decisive power to enforce a peaceful solution, but such power as we have must be used to the full. This is not a time for diplomatic niceties. It is a time to stand up and be counted."
Mr James Ramsden, the fourth member of the delegation, was taken ill in India. But there is no doubt that he will express similar sentiments.
Sreedham Roy Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aston, Birmingham
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