| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| ১১৭। দক্ষিণ এশিয়া | বাল্টিমোর সান | ২৮ নভেম্বর, ১৯৭১ |
THE BALTIMORE SUN, NOVEMBER 28.1971
Editorial
SOUTH ASIA
Of the ways proposed so far to case the tensions of South Asia, most are of dubious value. Some, such as the suggestion that the question be put before the Security Council of the United Nations, might serve temporarily to prevent a real war but could hardly settle or amcliorate much the fundamental issues from which the danger of war has arisen.
Similarly with the advice that India and Pakistan draw their troops back from the borders; this may sound reasonable from a distance, but considering the nature of the long and diverse frontiers, and various situations that exist among them, it is not likely to be accepted or, if accepted, to be put into effect.
India's altitude is distinctly stand-offish, perhaps because India believes events to be moving to its advantage.
Pakistan, though charging aggression by India across international borders, gives an impression of being unsure of its facts and might not went to try to present them on an international stage where the story of causes of the crisis would also be placed under examination.
As for the Big Power associates of the two countries, they as well may prefer not to have a Security Council discussion or action.
The Soviet Union dose support India but seems principally interested now in calm, not chaos, in South Asia.
It is a fair guess that China, though in general supporting Pakistan, would hardly wish its first major participation in the Security Council to come on an issue which could compromise Chinese plans over the longer term. For that matter, what would the United States gain by a Security Council debate, except further exposure of how ambiguous its own handling of relationships with India and Pakistan has been?
Private diplomacy offers a better method toward a solution, if a solution is to be found; though private diplomacy cannot be called immediately promising. For example, the United States is said to be urging, or thinking of urging, upon President Yahya Khan of Pakistan the course of direct dealing with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for a political solution. This again sounds reasonable on its face-except that Mujibur Rahman is imprisoned somewhere in West Pakistan on its charges of treason, and that to treat with him would amount to an admission of failure to the edge of desperation on Yahya part.
It would be to accept the proposition that things have been driven to the point where Pakistan, as it existed before last March, is no more and that if it is to be reconstituted at all, the reconstitution will have to come on the basis of a much greater degree of East Bengali autonomy than Yahya has heretofore been willing to contemplate. We cannot expect that Yahya is yet ready to consider that among the “political solutions” he talks of.
