from their control. They have miserably failed in forcing cooperation of the local people. The reports from various sources and the lies and contradictions that the military authorities are giving out prove that no law, order, security, peace or normalcy prevails in East Pakistan. Within a couple of days of army crackdown, the military authorities claimed that everything was normal in East Pakistan. On the one hand they still claim normalcy, on the other they speak of large scale killings and destruction by miscreants and Indian infiltrators. When the outside world came to know of unprecedented death and destruction, they started blaming the Bengalis, the undefined miscreants and the Indian infiltrators for the tragedy. Yahya Khan first said that there were no East Pakistani refugees in India, now he has opened reception camps to gat the refugees back. Yahya Khan initially refused international help for East Pakistan, now he has asked for massive help from the United Nations. He however insists that all help should be administered by his government. His design may be to utilise the help for the troops and starve the Bengalis to death.
President Yahya Khan announced after the election that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a great respected leader and future Prime Minister of the country, but on 26th March he branded him as traitor and arrested him and put him in a prison in West Pakistan. Yahya regime has been trying to divert the issue by creating diplomatic crisis and border trouble with India. It puts all blame on India. The hijackers of Indian plane were welcomed by Bhutto and West Pakistan people and government as freedom fighters. Then a mock trial was held and the hijacking was found to be an Indian conspiracy. The Military regime has kept the West Pakistani people ignorant of the real situation in East Pakistan. It is also trying to arouse provincial feeling and hatred among West Pakistanis. They are publicizing false reports that number of nonBengalis were killed by Bengali insurgents. The action of the government is uncivilised and its attitude unsympathetic. This government does not however represent the people. It is an alien, enemy government to the East Bengalis. Even in West Pakistan, there is dissatisfaction and restlessness. Bhutto has been pleading for transfer of power to his party on the ground that bureaucracy cannot solve national problems. He and his party appear to have lost confidence in the present regime. All other West Pakistani political parties except Qayum Khan's Muslim League had earlier advocated that powers should be transferred to the elected representatives of the people. This shows that the military junta is not based on popular support and confidence. No wonder that such an oligarchy which rules merely with the help bf weapons will act in such savage and criminal way. The regime has not only ignored the opinion of the people of the country but also of outside world. Its special relation with China and the massive military and economic aid it is getting from China has emboldened it to ignore any power, even the United Nations. The opening of all weather road between China and West Pakistan has further cemented relations between the two countries. China has now a vested interest in West Pakistan and has taken a vow to support the military regime in all eventualities.
XV. The outlook.
Political thinkers and independent observers believe that old Pakistan is dead and can never be revived or reunited. The main issue should not be to keep Pakistan intact but to
