of the Government of India. How much time will they take? How much time would they have to wait for before giving recognition to Bangladesh? What conditions have to be fulfilled, according to the Government of India, for determining that unless and until these conditions are fulfilled, we shall not accord recognition? The Foreign Minister should say. The House should be taken into confidence, the people should be taken into confidence, in a democratic country nothing should be done in secret, the people should be taken into confidence and here and now the Foreign Minister should speak to the House as to what conditions should be fulfilled under which the Government of Indian can give recognition to the people of Bangladesh.
Mr. Chairman, I am not talking of intervention is justified according to international law under similar circumstances. I am not saying that the Government of Indian should take up arms and stand up against the Pakistan military people there. I am not talking of that although there are reasons to say that it is high time that the Government of India took up arms and stood up against Pakistan. But I am not talking about that. What I want is, they should give recognition to Bangladesh. Let the people of Bangladesh fight themselves in liberation struggle; let them encounter the military rulers. They are competent enough to do that. But we have to recognize them, we have to give them international status, we have to recognize it as a sovereign democratic republic and we have to give due weight, due consideration to the people there as revealed through the massive mandate in the elections that took place in December. Mr. Chairman, Sir, on many a time on very floor of this house, it has been discussed how many times the intrusions took place on the India Border by Pakistani army.
12 Noon
Only the other day the Home Minister in reply to a question on the floor of this House stated the number of Pak intrusions in West Bengal was 13, Assam 3, Tripura 13, totaling up to 29. The number of firings by Pakistani Army into the India border West Bengal, Assam and Tripura came to 109, 28 and 104 respectively. The number of Indian citizens killed by Pakistani Army was: West Bangal 11, Assam and Meghalaya 31 and Tripura:30, totaling up to 77. The number of persons injured was 135. All these intrusions have taken place since May 1971, I am not talking of air intrusions. Is it not sufficient ground for intervention on the plea of self-defense as prescribed by international law? Still Mr. Chairman I am not taking on intervention. My demand is very modest. I am very humble in putting my demand. Let us recognize the Government of sovereign Democratic Republic of Bangladesh gives them assistance and establish full diplomatic relations. Let them conduct their own liberation movement for their freedom. Let us give them international status. That is what we want. Is it too much that I am asking for? Then why did we pass the Solidarity Resolution? What was the need of it? Did we want to hoodwink the real desire of the people of this country represented by this Government? Will we not feel ashamed if the Bangladesh people condemn us? Will they not say, “well we are fighting against the military republic of Pakistan, when we are fighting against one of the most powerful military personnel in the world, we have natural expectations that our
