Pakistan general sends SOS to UN

December 11, 1971

BANGLADESH BANS COMMUNAL PARTIES

The Bangladesh government today banned four communal parties -- the Muslim League, the Jamaet-i-Islami, the Nizami Islam and the People's Democratic Party. The announcement was made by acting president Syed Nazrul Islam in Jashore.

"Religion will not be allowed to be used in politics in Independent Bangladesh," he said. He also said that a tribunal would shortly be formed to try the war criminals. He appealed to all not to take the law into their own hands and "kill traitors and collaborators", but the people should hand over the traitors to the representatives of the Bangladesh government.

ON THE WAR FRONT

Pakistan said today that India had landed a brigade of paratroops north of Dhaka. A Pakistani military spokesman described the situation in East Pakistan as "grim". It was, however, asserted that major East Pakistani towns, including Jessore and Comilla, were still in Pakistani hands but that landing of Indian troops by helicopter and parachute deep within East Pakistan had bypassed main points of Pakistani resistance.

The Pakistan army in the eastern section was cut off from resupply from the West and for the last four days had been without the protection of an air force. Dhaka was under continuous air attack by Mitro Bahini.

The New York Times reported that Rao Farman Ali, military adviser to the puppet civil government in East Pakistan, proposed a ceasefire to the United Nations under which non-Bangalees would be evacuated and political autonomy would be conceded by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, on the western front, Pakistani tanks and infantry launched a massive attack last night across the shallow, sandy Munnawar Tawi river, leaving behind 600 of their own dead and about 300 Indian dead, claimed Indian field commanders.

KISSINGER'S MESSAGE TO FARLAND

In a backchannel message, US President's Assistant for National Security Affairs Henry Kissinger provides US Ambassador to Pakistan Farland an update today on his meeting with Pakistani delegates, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Agha Shahi in New York in the morning. It was concluded from the meeting that the proposal for ceasefire had been overtaken by events and was too complicated to succeed here, informed Kissinger.

Therefore, they agreed to following scenario: 1) Government of Pakistan will obtain third-country support to introduce resolution in Security Council which will include provision for both ceasefire and withdrawal. 2) It is likely that such a resolution would be vetoed. They would then move to accept simple ceasefire without any linkage to the Soviet formulation which would seek political negotiation. 3) While remaining adamant in step (2) that ceasefire alone is an essential first step, they would express willingness to include political negotiation following establishment of ceasefire.

Explaining the course of action Kissinger said, "Were we to follow any other course, it would look like complete collapse. Furthermore, should we start Security Council action with step (2) above, there is strong possibility that step (2), itself, might be vetoed if it were presented as initial position. Its chances of succeeding on second round are greatly enhanced by moving with step (1) first, recognizing that step (1) will probably not succeed."

Kissinger asked Farland to meet with Pakistan President Yahya Khan urgently and urge upon him the essentiality of sticking with the procedure and of avoiding initially any indication that proposals short of step (2) might be acceptable.

The Pakistan delegation at the UN was prepared to do same, concluded Kissinger.

TELEGRAM FROM US CONSUL GENERAL, DHAKA

The US Consul General in Dhaka in a telegram dated December 11, 1971, informed the state department, "We note with interest that British are moving smartly ahead to establish some basis for early dealing with Bangla Desh, which now appears to be as certain as anything normally is in international affairs."

It further said, "While we appreciate difficult and complicated questions involved in working out conditions in which we would recognize new sovereignty, such as Bangla Desh it seems to us that at this stage of the game, some little preparation such as the British have obviously been doing could make things, much easier… I therefore again strongly urge that we make preliminary soundings with reliable Bangla Desh reps in Washington or elsewhere which would, at very least, prevent them from assuming that we are inalterably opposed to idea of independent Bangla Desh or that we would take inordinately long to recognize a BDG [Bangladesh Government] substantially established in East Bengal."

Shamsuddoza Sajen is a journalist and researcher. He can be contacted at sajen1986@gmail.com