67 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড do anything, because we are no longer an imperial Power and there is a difference between preserving law and order-friendly Governments have had to do this—and suppressing the democratic processes. The extreme differences are obvious, but, sometimes, the borderline is difficult to ascertain. I have been involved, as other Hon. Members have, in the last six months in the discussions about what has really happened in Pakistan. In this House, we are trying to act as judges, trying to find a solution. If this debate were taking place within the Inter-Parliamentary Union, where Members of Parliament from many different Countries come together, or within the United Nations, there would be a much bigger divergence of view. That is why the correct line of action by the United Nations in a situation like this is difficult to define. But there is agreement that there have been serious human tragedies of unprecedented proportions in East Pakistan. If there has been genocide, it must be condemned. It could well be that the Punjabis, the West Pakistanis, have ruled and dominated the Bengalis in East Pakistan to an excessive extent. A series of regimes in Pakistan based on military rule may have lacked that political sensitivity which is so necessary to avoid the strife which we have been discussing. But it would be wrong to condemn President Yahya Khan as it Would be wrong completely to condemn. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We have been made aware of the Awami declaration and the results of the recent elections. I support my Hon. Friends in genuinely believing that President Yahya Khan has tried to hand over military government to democratic processes and that he is sincere in his pronouncements on this subject. Those who know him better are even more convinced than I am on this score. I regret that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not use his power, having won the elections, to reach some sort of compromise after the discussions of the last two years. There has been discussion about the so-called "six points". One is that the Federal Government will deal with defense and foreign affairs. Another is that the constitution should provide for a federation. Recently there have been additions to these, The question of the withdrawal of military law and of sending the troops back to barracks has also been discussed in recent months. It should be remembered that there could have been a misunderstanding on the part of the electorate in the recent elections. The results on those elections do not, therefore, mean that the voters thought they were voting for complete autonomy in the sense of having two separate nations. East Pakistan and West Pakistan. How many of them thought they were only voting for, for example, a separate province as part of a federal system? Bangladesh has described this as a war between two nations, and we could argue for a long time about whether this is a civil war or a war of independence. Whatever it is, it is to be regretted and we must condemn what should be condemned. For 25 years since partition there has been discussion of the best solution for Pakistan, both as a whole and separately. Today Bangladesh has popular sympathy. Having said that, I agree that Bangladesh appears now to be the underdog. The Hon. Member for Cornwall, North (Mr. Pardoe) referred to what was happening as a "Liberal
