These officials explained that the ban was imposed shortly after the severe repression of the East Pakistani independence movement began in March. The State Department estimates that at least 200,000 East Pakistanis have died in the subsequent fighting and that about six million refugees have fled to India.
Senior State Department officials said in interviews today that they were not aware of shipments of military equipment to Pakistan after March 25.
They acknowledged that such shipments would constitute a violation of the proclaimed policy.
The State Department officials said they had been informed by the Defense Department that no military equipment under the foreign sales program had been delivered to the Government of Pakistan or agents of the Government of Pakistan” since March 25.
No Explanation Offered
They said the Defense Department “reaffirmed” this policy today in discussions with the State Department. They could not explain how this Pentagon statement could be reconciled with the fact that, according to the bills of lading submitted to the Pakistani Embassy here, the equipment to be loaded on the Sunderbans was received at the dock in New York on April 23 and the equipment for the Padma on May 21.
A communication from the shippers to Lieut. Col. M. Amram Raja at the defense procurement division of the Pakistani Embassy covering the dock receipts for the two ships was sent on May 21.
The Defense Department asked about the shipments last Saturday and again today, referred all inquiries to the State Department. Officials appeared to be at a loss to explain the shipments in the light of the official ban.
State Department sources quoted the Defense Department as saying that do sales or deliveries to Pakistan had been authorized since March 25 and that the equipment aboard the two freighters had been purchased prior to the official prohibition.
Rut they offered no comment as to why the dockside deliveries and actual shipments had been made after March 25.
The State Department has not yet replied to a letter sent on June 17 by Senator Frank Church, Democrat of Idaho, to Secretary of State William P. Rogers requesting information about “certain items of military equipment” being shipped to Pakistan under State Department licenses.
Senator Church, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, advised Mr. Rogers that he understood that the State Department had issued License No. 19242 for some of this equipment.
