The Bengal Disturbances
S112, —The Spectator of March 31st writes; "The effective suppression by the Pakistan authorities in East Bengal of the communal disturbances which flared up in February, contrasts unfavourably with the failure 'of their Indian opposite numbers to keep peace in West Bengal." We rubbed our eyes 'in astonishment at this naive statement, so faithfully ochoihg Pakistani claims, but so utterly contrary to facts. The number of Hindus still coming away from East Bengal (82,000 in the week ending May 13th according to West Bengal Government statement) in spite of the Nehru-Liaquat Agreement, and the appalling number of people who arrive in the last stages of exhaustion physically and financially (the total number of Hindu emigres in the course of last three months alone has reached the figure of 1,200,000) do not suggest any successful suppression by Pakistan as compared to West Bengal. The Spectator, as a great paper, can draw any conclusion from facts, but even the Spectator cannot suit its facts to its conclusion. The Economist wrote: "The casualties in India run to three figures, those in Pakistan to four figures." Does this estimate of ten-fold casualties in Pakistan suggest more effective sup- pression of the disturbances in Pakistan than in West Bengal ?
The fact is, although we Asiatics may have no knowledge of high imperial policy, yet we. have noticed that right from the Crimean War days and the days of the Armenian massacres, England has persistently sided with the Mussulmans. In Israel and India British people have consistently championed Moslem interests even when their moral sense tolerated such' allies with difficulty, and even though their services were
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