বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সূত্র তারিখ ৩৬৮। বাংলাদেশ এখন একটি হিন্দুস্তান ষ্টান্ডার্ড ২৭ সেপ্টেম্বর, ১৯৭১ আন্তর্জাতিক প্রশ্ন HINDUSTAN STANDARD, SEPTEMBER 27, 1971 BANGLADESH HAS BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE By Nitish Chakravarty The recent international conference on Bangladesh in New Delhi has yielded no dramatic results. This is no index of its achievements or the lack of them. Indeed it would have been naive to expect spectacular results to flow from a gathering of men welded together by nothing other a commonly shared concern for Bangladesh. The main purpose of the conference was to stir the conscience of the world community. The extent to which it succeeds in this would determine its usefulness. Not only have Governments across the world tended to be indifferent about the gruesome tragedy in Bangladesh even at non-official levels not enough has been done to ostracize the ruling junta at Islamabad. By bringing together men and women of various races in condemning the Pakistani atrocities, the conference has served a useful purpose. It has highlighted the fact that regardless of the indifference of their Governments, numerous individuals in many countries are deeply disturbed at the happenings in Bangladesh. Expectations that the conference might produce results readily translatable into tangible action were aroused perhaps by the talk about all international brigade. The publication of a letter of the French author Mr. Andre Malraux, to a friend brought the probability of such a brigade into focus. Mr. Malraux, who has fought oppressors with arms in different parts of the world thinks it futile to expect that the Pakistani hordes can be repulsed with mere resolutions. Even a pacifist like Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan is persuaded that armed help to the Mukti Bahini can alone help it liberate Bangladesh. In his presidential address to the conference he therefore threw up the suggestion for a brigade like the one which fought against the Spanish fascists in the 1930s. The suggestion found a quick echo in Mr. B. P. Koirala a former Nepalese Prime Minister and life-long fighter for democratic rule in his country. It is not surprising that the idea did not evoke wider interest. One reason for it is that the possibility of raising an armed international brigade was never carefully processed during the preparatory stages of the conference. It is perhaps too much to expect men of divergent backgrounds to take a momentous decision like this after less than 72 hours deliberation. The participants differed not only on the wisdom of raising an armed brigade there were some to whom resort to arms on any plea is totally indefensible. Worse still many anticipants are still opposed to the concept of a sovereign Bangladesh outside the
