Bangladesh wants to join UN session

September 7, 1971

BANGLADESH PLANNING TO SEND TEAM TO UN SESSION

The Government of Bangladesh wants to send a delegation to the UN General Assembly session in New York which is due to begin on September 21. Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Mahbub Alam discussed such a proposal today with the officials of the Indian external affairs ministry. The Bangladesh foreign secretary earlier had a meeting with the Indian Foreign Secretary TN Kaul, during which the issue of Bangladesh's presence in the upcoming UN session was discussed. 

INDIA TO RAISE GENOCIDE ISSUE AT KL CONFERENCE

India would raise the issue of West Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh at the session of the Commonwealth Parliament Conference at Kuala Lumpur in a new bid to rouse the conscience of the world community through selected representatives of 27 countries around the globe.

The Indian delegation to the 17th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, meeting from September 13 to 17, 1971, had given notice of its desire to raise the Bangladesh issue. It had circulated a draft resolution condemning mass massacre and the denial of human rights in Bangladesh. The executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union yesterday conceded India's right to raise the issue and have full discussion at the Conference but decided that in accordance with traditions there would be no resolution on the subject.

BANGABANDHU 'A TRUE FOLLOWER' OF SUHRAWARDY

Begum Akhtar Sulaiman, daughter of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, described Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a "true follower of her father and founder of the Awami League", who was certainly fulfilling her father's "uncompleted mission". Bangabandhu and his followers were working for the restoration of the democratic setup and integration of Pakistan, Akhtar Sulaiman said in an interview published in the Urdu Weekly "Wattan" of London.

72 AWAMI LEAGUE MNAS TO BE TRIED IN ABSENTIA

Seventy-two Awami League members elected to the Pakistan National Assembly would be tried in absentia by a military tribunal, the Pakistan government announced today. The decision was taken after members of the Awami League failed to appear before the military authorities on September 1, 1971 despite repeated directives, the government said. Although President Yahya Khan granted general amnesty to East Pakistanis who committed offences in the past six months, criminal proceedings had been instituted against National Assembly members.

ON THE WAR FRONT

In Dhaka-Comilla-Chittagong sector, Mukti Bahini today fired on Pakistani troops in Chandla in Dhaka district and killed seven Pakistani troops and injured eight.

In the Rangpur-Dinajpur-Rajshahi sector, Mukti Bahini demolished a road bridge to the north of Lalmonirhat dislocating the enemy supply line.

Shamsuddoza Sajen is a journalist and researcher. He can be contacted at [email protected]