বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ তৃতীয় পত্র
for sheer survival. Equally distressing are the conditions prevailing inside Bangladesh for those who could not escape and are under constant torture and a reign of terror.
The GUARDIAN, London writes on June 14, in an editorial “Murder, the hope of shelter and fear have driven 4 or 5 million refugees from East Pakistan to India... ...in addition, left behind in East Pakistan at the mercy of Yahya's bayonets there are further millions of whom at least many thousands must be in tenor, misery and near starvation."
Colin Smith wrote in THE OBSERVER, London on June 27 'the army is opening up reception centers for refugees wishing to return to East Pakistan from India. Mr. Bottomley and his party visited one of these camps and found 22 exhausted people. The Pakistanis were expecting 500 a day."
Murray Sayle writes in July 71 in THE SUNDAY TIMES, London “the Pakistan Military regime recently repeated its claim that East Pakistan is rapidly returning to normalcy after its prolonged military operation........ I spent a week touring one of the areas from which many thousands of refugees fled and found that this is untrue; that, in fact, a repulsive political system is taking shape which may well make it impossible for them (the refugees) to return."
Reginald Prentice, a member of the British Parliamentary delegation which visited both Bangladesh and India wrote in NEW STATESMAN on July 16 “everywhere we went we questioned refugees at random; everywhere we were told similar stories. The army have come to their village or a nearby village. People were shot or mutilated, houses and farms burnt. Women were raped, the soldiers had looted or encouraged the non-Bengalis to loot Bengalis (and specially the Hindus). This was still happening. That is why they had left. They wanted to return, but only when it was safe, that is when Mujib said it was safe or when the army left"
The refugees include both Hindus and Muslims. The GUARDIAN of London writes on July 21, “there are 20,000 Muslim refugees at Kantala Camp 19 miles from Agartala and only 20 yards from the border. All of them came from villages just inside East Pakistan."
The INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE writes on July 21 “a party of foreign journalists who recently toured the remote areas of Tripura and Assam said many East Pakistan refugees told of looting and burning of Muslim villages and the rape of Muslim women by Pakistani soldiers."
From Resistance to Victory
The Mukti Bahini (Liberation forces), grown out of a spontaneous resistance from among the people of Bangladesh is now a well-organized force. It has grown both in strength and size. By all standards it has established itself as a capable liberation force and will, without any doubt, bring ultimate victory. The Mukti Bahini enjoys the
