পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (দ্বাদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৬২

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বাংরাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ দ্বাদশ খণ্ড
৩৬

 It was in that spirit that I undertook this tour which has brought me to Washington, I have found here understanding of our apprehensions and sympathy without objectives.

 [The above speech has been included in the U.S. Congressional Record at the request of Representative Cornelius E. Gallagher.]

FOLLOWING ARE THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS AFTER THE SPEECH

 Question: You stated last night that you are going to take care of 6 million refugees for 6 months. What happens if Pakistan refuses to take back these refugees?

 Foreign Minister: The question is important. What happens if there are additions to 6 million? That is the precise reason that we are doubly anxious about this issue. Our first demand is that whatever else happens or does not happen, this further movement of refugees must stop. And, in this respect, even a change in the political situation is not absolutely necessary to put a stop to the movement of refugees. If those who happen to be now in charge of the administrative and military apparatus which can systematically push out people, if they start applying that machine and that apparatus in the reverse direction and produce conditions of confidence, at any rate cease to put pressure on these various section of the East Bengali community, this will result in sto9pping of movement. The conditions which are already so grave, if this does not stop, and I hinted in a portion of my speech that if this thing continues, we will not be able to watch helplessly this addition to our troubles and this increasing threat to our security and stability of not only our territory, but of the entire region.

 Question: Why do you refer to East Pakistan as East Bengal? Does this indicate eventual unification of West and East Bengal?

 Foreign Minister: I call it East Bengal, because originally it was East Bengal. Bengal was divided into two parts, the East and the West. And this also to a certain extent we use in order to satisfy the ideas of the people in East Bengal who, 75 million of the, are engaged in the mighty task of ending the military domination and suppression of the Pakistan army, which is predominantly West Pakistani in its content and constitution.

 The use of this expression does not mean that there is any risk of West Bengal, which is a state of the Indian Union, at any time thinking of joining East Bengal, even it becomes independent. They know the value of being equal partners in this grant great country of ours, India, where they have played a significant role in the political field, in the social and economic field and thus I do not realize that there is ever any risk of people of West Bengal, a constituent state of India, ever-thinking of opting out of India, whatever is the future of East Pakistan, whether is succeeds in attaining the type of autonomy which is contained in the 6-point Programme of the Awami league or whether it emerges in the course of time as a state mostly on account of the continued oppression by military means of the wishes and aspirations of the people of East Bengal.

 Question: President Nixon has not so far publicly condemned genocide in East Bengal. Did he condemn it in your private talks with him?