Viewing page 63 of 100

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

INDIRA GANDHI             TERRELL

war a heritage of colonialism

The recent war* which broke out between East and West Pakistan represented Act II of a drama which had its genesis in Britain colonial policies. In reference to the situation in East Pakistan, Indira Gandhi made the following statement: "We would normally have welcomed the attainment of freedom of any victim of colonial oppression but usually it would have little direct impact on us. Bangladesh [East Pakistan] however was part of our subcontinent." Ten million destitute refugees poured into a densely populated area which was politically sensitive owing to the activities of left extremists called Naxalites. An unbearable strain was placed on the Indian economy and on its social and administrative institutions. The refugees, however, were not forced to go back to their homes and face a reign of terror. In fact, India fed over two and one-half million refugees a day in a camp in Calcutta. Thus the Pakistan Civil War was extended into India. But the spirit of the Indian people can be summed up by the following quote from Indira: " we are used to hardship and can bear it."
Mrs. Gandhi realizes that Pakistan has to have time to reconcile itself to the defeat it suffered in December 1971 which resulted in the break-up and the estimated loss of 60% of its population, 50% of its foreign exchange and 20% of its tax revenue. The shock of these events compelled Pakistan to exchange military dictatorship for civilian rule. Indira took the initiative to invite President Bhutto for discussions which have resulted in the Simla Agreement of July 2, 1972, by which Pakistan and India have proclaimed their determination to solve their conflict bilaterally and without recourse to force. This agreement and the spirit in which it was made perhaps will close the 25-year period of Pakistan-Indian disputes. 
India wants better relations with China. Even when India was in the midst of her struggle for liberty, she supported China's parallel fight against imperialism and sent a medical team to Mao Tse-tung's Eighth Route Army. India was among the fist countries in 1949 to welcome the establishment of the People's Republic of China and was one of the leaders in the international effort to secure China's admission into the United Nations. Much to Indira's disappointment, the last two decades have failed to fulfill the initial hopes that India and China, both great Asian nations newly independent and faced with similar problems, would learn from and assist each other. The

----
* For further detail see "Bangladesh: Another Victory Over Colonialism,"
FREEDOMWAYS, Vol. 12, No. 3, 1972.  

237

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-26 11:41:23 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-26 16:44:41 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-26 17:07:42