518 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড target. It is reported that 3 jute warehouses have been burnt down recently. The guerrilla have also been turning their attention to those they regard as collaborators, On Sunday, one of the Members of the National Assembly who recently gained his seal in an uncontested by-election was shot and there have been other political assasinations. One report from Dacca says that there are now no less than seven areas of East Pakistan where the government in Dacca does not in fact govern. One of the main difficulties the government appears to be facing is that it is having to depend on the Razakars for a great deal of the work which the police or the army would normally do. The regular police are still weakened by the massive defections after the military action started which have not been made up. President Yahya Khan's scheme to restore political life to the province does not appear to be doing much to restore the confidence of the people and encourage them to cooperate with the government The main problem is that there seems to be no sign of a party growing up to replace the now banned Awami League, By-elections were scheduled for 78 seats in the National Assembly next month. Reports from Pakistan say that 52 of the seats have already been filled by members who have been returned unopposed. As most of these members come from the right wing Islamic parties who were unable to win a single East Pakistani seat in the last election their unopposed return in this election does not seem to hold out much hope of their being able to command the confidence and respect of their constituents. Another political problem which the government is reported to be facing is the rump of the ex-Awami League-these Members of the National Assembly who were elected on the Awami League ticket last year and who have been cleard by the government to take up their seats in the National Assembly. Nothing has been heard of most of them in East Pakistan and they are in fact believed to be still in India. The signs at the moment arc that politically and economically East Pakistan is far from normal and it is very-difficult to see how the province can return to normality under present conditions. vovo | ASIAN TOPIC ALT ALKS BRITISH PRESS ON INDO-PAKISTAN 30th November 1971 Edited by William Crawley (S) Most British papers this morning give prominence to the admission by India that her forces have been engaged in a tank and infantry battle against the Pakistan army in the Balurghat-Hili area inside East Pakistan. The Daily Telegraph correspondent in Calcutta, David Loshak says that the official explanation, that the military crisis in East Pakistan is a matter merely between the Pakistan army and the Mukti Bahini guerrillas, has now been abandoned by everyone except official spokesmen. In the Times, David Housego reports from Rawalpindi that the Indian and guerrilla forces are mounting repeated attacks to encourage the Pakistan army to use up their ammunition, while at the same time depriving them of further supplies. Housego says that the thrusts in the north appear to be aimed at airstrips, which are both a source of
