বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
| পাকিস্তান পরিস্থিতির ওপর বৃটিশ এম,পি,বার্নার্ড ব্রেইন-এর বিবৃতি | দি টাইমস | ১ সেপ্টেম্বর, ১৯৭১ |
Statement by Mr. Bernard Braine, British M.P., on East Pakistan
As sure as night follows day, there will be an appalling famine in East Pakistan by October unless the international community intervenes now. That was the sombre conclusion reached by a non-governmental conference of South Asia experts which met in Toronto last weekunder arrangements made by Oxfam of Canada.
Last month, a World Bank mission which had visited East Pakistan reported that they saw no signs of return to normal conditions. The people remained frightened and untrusting. Many workers and civil servants were failing to report for duty. Communications were completely disrupted.
As the weeks have slipped by, the situation has continued to deteriorate. There are now over 7.5 million refugees in India and their numbers increase daily. Their appalling physical condition is proof enough of the plight of those left behind. Insurgency continues. Far from any return to civil administration, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the elected leader of the province, now faces trial before a secret military tribunal.
What is the basis for believing that the still greater disaster of famine now looms ahead for East Pakistan?
First, it should be recognized that in spite of the abundant rainfall and rich soil of the province, hunger and malnutrition are endemic. The basic diet consists of rice supplemented by vegetables, fish and lentils. Meat and dairy products are rare luxuries. According to a World Bank report, the average per capita per day cereal consumption last year was 16.1 ounces. This provided only 1,700 calories compared with the North American and West European, average of 2,700 calories. Indeed, a Pakistan Government nutrition survey conducted in 1964 showed that even then the average protein intake of people in the East wing was inadequate in 85 per cent of the rural population and over half the children were on the borderline of malnutrition. The death-rate among all live born children was 26 per cent before their fifth birth day. compared with a European average of 2.4 per cent.
The implications of all this were spelt out at the Toronto conference, by Dr. Jon Rohde of the Harvard Medical School who has recently returned from East Pakistan. His key point was that a people, whose diet and well being are highly marginal in “normal" times, become dangerously vulnerable even if, there is only a marginal shortfall in traditional food supplies. If however, there is a major shortfall, then massive famine is inevitable and millions arc condemned to die.
What are the facts about the shortfall? From 1966 to 1970, East Pakistan produced an average of 10.8 million tons of grain a year, but still had to import 1.2 million tons a year to
