74 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ৩২। সীমান্তের দিকে চাপ টাইম ২৬ এপ্রিল, ১৯৭১ TIME MAGAZINE, APRIL 26, 1971 THE PUSH TOWARDS THE BORDERS Radio Pakistan announced last week that Pakistan International Air lines has resumed its internal flights between the East Pakistan capital of Dacca, and the town of Jessore, formerly a stronghold of rebel resistance. The broadcast failed to note that the PIA Prop Jets were carrying only soldiers and that they were escorted into Jessore Airport by air force Sabre Jets. It was true, however that the army had taken the offensive in Pakistan's savage civil war. In the early days of fighting, the troops had prudently preferred to remain in their garrison areas, for the most until additional men and supplies arrived. Last week they began to push toward die Indian border, hoping to secure the hard top roads by the time the monsoon rains in late May. If they succeed, they will be able to block any sizable imports of arms and other equipments for the Bangladesh (Bengal State) resistance fighters. Naxalite Sympathizers Despite the heavy cost of the operation (estimated at £1.3 million per day) and widespread international criticism, the Government of president Agha Mohammad Vahya Khan seems determined to press for a decisive victory. The U.S. and most other Western countries have thus far maintained careful neutrality, Washington announced that it has furnished no arms to Pakistan since the fighting began March, 25. Communist China, on the other hand, has strongly supported the Pakistan Government, while India, Pakistan's traditional adversary, has quietly sympathized with the rebels. The Indians most deeply involved arc the West Bengalis who are kinsmen to the East Bengali insurgents. But West Bengali sympathy is tempered by a fear that a prolonged civil war in East Bengal will prove costly to themselves as well. For generation, West Bengal has received a steady flow of refugees from across the border. Now the flow has greatly increased, with an added burden to the state's economy. Among West Bengalis, the most enthusiastic supporters of the East Pakistani cause are Calcutta's urban terrorists, the Maoist Naxalite. Some are said to have slipped across the border with home-made guns and bombs to help the rebels. Strong Words Officially, India has tried to maintain calm. Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi declared earlier that India could hardly remain a "silent observer" to the carnage in East Pakistan. But last week, when asked if she would describe the fighting as an "imperial war," she replied sternly, "the use of strong words will not help."
