India, Russia discuss Bangladesh war

December 12, 1971

SOVIET DELEGATES DISCUSS BANGLADESH WITH INDIRA GANDHI

Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily V Kuznetsov held talks on Bangladesh with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi today in New Delhi.

An Indian government spokesman said that discussions in New Delhi and in Moscow—where an Indian representative, DP Dhar, arrived yesterday—would deal with the question of Soviet recognition of Bangladesh.

Diplomatic sources, according to The New York Times, believed that the Russians would try to persuade Indira Gandhi to accept a halt to the fighting once the battle in Bangladesh was won and not to try to push ahead in West Pakistan.

DP Dhar had preliminary low-level talks today with Soviet officials.

ON THE WAR FRONT

Mitro Bahini were advancing on Dhaka from three directions. "The war has at last come to Dhaka," a Voice of America correspondent reported from the encircled Dhaka as advancing columns of Mitro Bahini came as close as 18km from their main destination.

Senior Pakistani officers predicted Indian troops would reach Dhaka within 48 hours, reported The New York Times. "Word of the imminence of an Indian attack came from nervous and dispirited officials at Government House. One general spoke melodramatically of throwing himself under a tank, but it is likely that no tanks would be available. Other senior Pakistanis, were expecting to be taken prisoner by the Indians but were fearful that the Bangalee guerrillas would reach them first," added the newspaper.

US CARRIER MAY SAIL TO BANGLADESH

The United States Navy's nuclear‐powered aircraft carrier Enterprise had left Vietnamese waters on December 10, 1971 heading toward the Indian Ocean for a possible rescue of American citizens from Dhaka, reported The New York Times.

Naval commanders aboard the carrier shared that they had orders to sail to the Strait of Malacca off Singapore to await final instructions to proceed up the Bay of Bengal. The mission of the United States task force would be to evacuate Americans and other foreigners from Dhaka, they added.

The Enterprise, the largest aircraft carrier in the United States fleet and the only nuclear‐powered one then in operation, carried about a hundred fighter‐bombers, bombers, fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters and small cargo planes. Her ordnance stores included nuclear bombs.

Three British C‐130's flew from Dhaka to Kolkata today with about 480 British, American and German evacuees, according to United States consulate officials in Dhaka.

INDO-BANGLA ACCORD ON EVACUEE'S RETURN

The governments of India and Bangladesh reached an accord on the question of the return from India of the Bangladesh evacuees and their rehabilitation. Thirty million people including about 10 million now in India would be rehabilitated in Bangladesh by the end of January, 1972. The decisions were made when the Indian union minister for relief and rehabilitation had a series of meeting with Bangladesh government leaders including Syed Nazrul Islam and Tajuddin Ahmad today.

US URGES UN TO ACT

The United States urged the Security Council tonight to call upon India to accept forthwith a ceasefire and a mutual withdrawal in the Indian‐Pakistani war. But George Bush, the United States representative, withdrew his demand for an immediate vote on an American draft resolution shortly after midnight after the Soviet, Polish and French delegates had declared that they needed time to get instructions form their governments. The emergency meeting, which had been called at the urgent request of the United States, was adjourned at 12:45am until 10:30am today.

Bush consented to the adjournment after the delegate of Somalia, Abdulrahim A Farah, had noted that the Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh had given a "qualified commitment" of withdrawal in his statement to the council.

Swaran Singh had said that India would withdraw her forces if Pakistani troops were pulled out of East Pakistan and if Pakistan entered into a peace settlement with the representatives of Bangladesh.

BHUTTO VOWS FIGHT TO END

Pakistan Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto told a cheering throng of Pakistanis today, "We are not cowards, we will fight to the last man if it has to be." He was addressing a crowd of demonstrators who had gathered outside the Hotel Pierre, where Bhutto had been conferring with diplomats about the Indian‐Pakistani war. The demonstration was in favor of the Pakistani government and against the Soviet Union and India.

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