Statement by Senator J. W. Fulbright in the U. S. Senate on July 28, 1971

 

The cataclysmic chain of events in East Pakistan not only points up the egregious misuses to which U. S. military and economic assistance can be put. It also illustrates the insensitivity of U. S. policy to changing events and the seemingly inevitable reaction to defend the status quo regardless of the context.

 

U.S. military assistance was furnished Pakistan to defend against Communism. It was used instead to wage war on India, the world's largest democracy, and subsequently to suppress the feeble steps to-ward democracy taken in Pakistan itself. Despite this perversion of U.S. largess, we have now been astonished to learn that shipments of military goods are continuing, apparently in pursuit of illustory influence or "leverage" with the Pakistan Army. The shock is com­pounded in view of the fact that the Foreign Relations Committee had been assured by the administration that no military items had been furnished Pakistan since March 25 and none were scheduled for delivery. This is another sad case of private executive foreign policy decision-making taken without the benefit of indeed in strict isolation from, public discussion and debate.

 

Economic assistance provided by the United States was misused by the Pakistan Government to subsidize unbalanced development favouring West Pakistan at the expense of the East, which in the process exacerbated the problems which have now been so graphically revealed. Yet we support the Pakistan Government, economically and military, despite its destruction of emerging representative government and in the face of a ruthless military campaign, largely directed against Hindus and the intellectual and leadership elements among the Bengalis, which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. This support continues in the face of a recommendation by the World Bank against further aid and in the face of contrary attitudes on the part of other aid-giving nations of the world.

 

It is said that we must not intervene in the internal affairs of other countries a principle which should have been better understood in 1964, or since 1949 in China for that matter-and that we should not use economic aid for political purposes. However, supporting a Government engaged in civil war with economic assistance is as much an intervention as helping the other side. It is distressing to see that, through continuation of assistance to Islamabad, the United States against finds itself actively alined with a military dictatorship pursuing policies diamatrically opposed to those to which we say we are committed.

 

Unfortunately the implications of this civil strife are not confined to Pakistan. The refugees created by the Pakistani military actions have been driven into India where they pose a grave problem, and, indeed, it is not an overstatement to suggest that they constitute a potential danger to world peace equivalent to that created over 20 years ago in Palestine. These hapless Bengali refugees are pressed into an area of India where insurrection and instability are already widespread and the problem of griding poverty is most acute. India simply cannot bear the burdens, in terms of food, housing, employment, and health measures, which the refugees have thrust upon it. The situation could easily lead to renewed com­munal rioting, accelerated revolutionary activity-which could threaten the future of India itself-or another Indo-Pakistan war.

 

In this situation the administration says that it is privately urging the Pakis­tanis to find a political solution in East Pakistan. However, the subsidy of the Pakistan dictatorship continues. AID announced on June 10 that it was providing : I million for Pakistan to charter vessels for the purpose of distributing food in the East, a worthy purpose. On analysis, however, there are some serious questions, Earlier Pakistan was supplied with similar vessels for cyclone relief and she is reported to be using them for military purposes.

 

In this context, is not the $ I million for new boats simply a means of permitting Pakistan to use its existing vessels to pursue military objectives?

And what assurances do we have that Pakistan will not divert to military purposes the vessels which they will charter with the $ 1 million we are giving them

 

The situation in East Pakistan is intolerable, as is a foreign policy which in practice reinforces the status quo there. The United States should instead use all the influence, limited though it may be, which it can bring to bear. In this connection, steps should be taken to insure that military goods, including spare parts, are not shipped to Pakistan and the offer of F-104's B-57's patrol aircraft, and armoured personnel carriers made last fall should be immediately resigned Economic assistance should be suspended until the Pakistanis, both East and West, agree upon a satisfactory political solution and until steps are taken to repatriate the refugees now in India. If the administration does not abandon its fruitless status quo course, I will support congressional action to achieve that objective.

 

 

 

Source: Bangladesh Documents Vol – I, p. 580 – 582