If a long term solution was to be found in East Bengal, Mr. Barnes said the world community must bring economic pressure on the Government of Pakistan to withdraw troops from East Bengal and come to a genuine democratic agreement with the people.
In this context both Mr. Chesworth and Mr. Barnes said there was no evidence to suggest that Britain was at the moment out of line with the other nations of the international community on the need for economic pressure.
Mr. Barnes said: “If Britain and America and the whole of the international community pursue this line and remain united on this question, there will in the long run be a genuine and democratic solution in East Bengal". He said on his return, he would pressurize the British Government to stand committed to this line.
When his attention was drawn to Mr. IIcath's “no” to Mrs. Indira Gandhi's call for suspension of aid to Pakistan, Mr. Barnes said Britain would not suspend the existing economic aid to Pakistan. But it would not enter into any new aid commitment unless Pakistan accepted a settlement in East Bengal.
Explaining further, Mr. Chesworth said no aid was going from Britain to Pakistan at the moment. This was the period in which aid programmes were wound up and only some technical assistance like aid to students were continuing.
Both Mr. Barnes and Mr. Chesworth took pain, to explain that what was important was the Consortium aid for the next year. When the Consortium countries met a few days back, they adjourned till July before approving plans for expenditure. That would be a vital meeting and Britain, they asserted, had “no conceivable reason” to back up a colonial regime in East Bengal.
Mr. Chesworth said the reaction in Britain to the East Bengal tragedy was one of “shock". For people in the U.K., it was hardly comprehensible that such brutalities could really occur.
He said his organisation, War on Want-had no hesitation to accept the Bangladesh Government as the real representative of the people and have dealings with it in distribution of relief. At the same time, he added that it would be wrong to entrust supplies exclusively to the military regime in Pakistan for distribution.
At the end, Mr. Chesworth feared a “massive” famine in East Bengal because over greater parts of the country seeds had not been sown.
