Extracts from U.N. Secretary-General's introduction to the Annual Report on the
work of the U.N. Organisation relating to the situation in East Bengal

September 17, 1971

 

 

The civil strife which erupted in East Pakistan in March, 1971, and its aftermath, are matters of deep concern to me as Secretary-General of the United Nations. While the civil strife in itself is an internal affair of Pakistan, some of the problems generated by it are necessarily of concern to the international community. The recent events in East Pakistan, following on the cyclone disaster of last November, have resulted in extensive loss of life, destruction and disruption. The plight of much of the population is serious, and millions of people have fled to the adjacent states of India, bringing to the Indian authorities overwhelming health and relief problems and imposing an intolerable burden upon their already strained resources. International assistance on an unprecedented scale was urgently needed both for the relief of the distressed people in East Pakistan and for aid to the East Pakistan refugees in India.

 

I expressed my concern over this situation to President Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan shortly after the events of March, 1971, and have been in continuous touch with the Governments of Pakistan and India, both through their Permanent Representatives at the United Nations and through other contacts. In these exchanges I have been acutely aware of the dual responsibility of the United Nations, including the Secretary-General, under the Charter both to observe the provision of Article 2, paragraph 7, and to work, within the framework of international economic and social co-operation, to help, promote and ensure human well-being and humanitarian principles.

 

It was with this latter responsibility in mind that I appealed for assistance both for the East Pakistan refugees in India and for the population of East Pakistan. In order to channel the assistance given in response to those appeals, I designated the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as the Focal Point for assistance to the refugees in India and assigned, with the agreement of the Government of Pakistan, a representative in Dacca in order to make as effective use as possible of the international assistance made available for the relief of the population of East Pakistan. In addition to those two emergency relief operations, the High Commissioner has initiated, with my full concurrence, an effort to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of the refugees now in India.

 

At its meeting on 16th July, 1971, the Economic and Social Council held a full discussion of these operations, based on the statements made in the Council by the High Commissioner and the Assistant Secretary-General for Inter-Agency Affairs.

At the conclusion of this discussion, the President of the Council expressed full support for the action taken by the Secretary-General.

Substantial contributions have been promptly offered in response to my appeal for the refugees in India. However, the money and supplies made available are not nearly sufficient, and the Indian Government still faces the appalling and disruptive problem of caring for millions of refugees in its territory for an unforeseeable period of time.

The response to my appeal for the relief operation in East Pakistan, particularly in its initial phase, has been far from sufficient or adequate to the magnitude of the task. In this connexion, I should mention that in my dealings with the Government of Pakistan, as well as in the organisation of the relief effort in East Pakistan, I have been at pains to emphasise the necessity of being, able to give to the donor countries appropriate assurances that their contributions will reach their intended destination-the people of East Pakistan.

Efforts to bring about the repatriation of refugees have so far been unavailing. Since President Yahya Khan announced his agreement to allow the East Pakistan refugees to return on 25th May, only an insignificant number of refugees have done so, and, according to Indian and other sources, the total number of the refugees in India has steadily increased.

The crux of the matter is that international and government efforts in East Pakistan are increasingly hampered by the lack of substantial progress towards a political reconciliation and the consequent effect on law, order and public adminis­tration in the region. There is a danger that serious food shortages, and even famine, could soon add to the sufferings of the population unless conditions can be improved to the point where a large-scale relief programme can be effective. Equally serious is the undoubted fact that reconciliation, an improved political atmosphere and the success of relief efforts are indispensable prerequisites for the return of any of the refugees now in India. The situation is one in which political, economic and social factors have produced a series of vicious circles which largely frustrate the efforts of the authorities concerned and of the international community to deal with the vast humanitarian problems involved.

These human tragedies have consequences in a far wider sphere. The violent emotions aroused could have repercussions on the relations of religious and ethnic groups on the sub-continent as a whole. The relations between the Governments of India and Pakistan are also a major component of the problem. The conflict between the principles of the territorial integrity of States and self-determination has often before in history given rise to fratricidal strife and, in recent years, has provoked highly emotional reactions in the international community. In the present case, there is an additional element of danger for the crisis is unfolding in the context of the long-standing and unresolved difficulties between India and Pakistan, difficulties which gave rise to open warfare only six years ago. Although there can be no question of the deep desire of both Governments for peace, tension between them shows no sign of subsiding. The situation on the borders of East Pakistan is particularly disturbing. Border clashes, clandestine raids and acts of sabotage appear to be becoming more frequent, and this is all the more serious since refugees must cross this disturbed border if repatriation is to become a reality. Nor can any of us in the United Nations afford to forget that a major conflict on the sub-continent could all too easily expand.

In tragic circumstances such as these, it is all too easy to make moral judgements. It is far more difficult to face up to the political and human realities of the situation and to help the people find a way out of their difficulties. It is the latter course which, in my view, the United Nations must follow.

In the light of the information available to me, I reluctantly came to the conclusion, by mid-July, that the time was past when the international community could continue to stand by, watching the situation deteriorate and hoping that relief programmes, humanitarian efforts and good intentions would be enough to turn the tide of human misery and potential disaster. I was deeply concerned about the possible consequences of this situation, not only its humanitarian aspect, but also the potential threat to international peace and security and the bearing it might have on the future of the United Nations as an effective instrument for international co-operation and action. It seemed to me that the tragic situation arising from these events, in which humanitarian, economic and political problems were mixed in such a way as almost to defy distinction, presented a challenge to the United Nations as a whole which must be met.

 

For these reasons, I felt it was my duty, as Secretary-General, to bring this problem to the attention of the Security Council. I did so on 20th July by means of a memorandum to the President of the Council. In the memorandum, after outlining the considerations set forth above, I stated that the political aspects of this matter were of such far-reaching importance that the Secretary-General was not in a position to suggest precise courses of action before the members of the Security Council had taken note of the problem. I believed, however, that the United Nations-with its long experience in peace-keeping and with its varied resources for conciliation and persuasion-must and should play a more forthright role in attempting both to mitigate the human tragedy and to avert a further deterioration of the situation. I expressed the view that the Security Council, the world's highest body for the maintenance of international peace and security, was in a position to consider, with the utmost attention and concern, the situation on the sub-continent and to reach some agreed conclusions as to measures which might be taken. My primary purpose was to provide the basis and opportunity for such discussions to take place and to express my grave concern that all possible means should be explored to resolve this tragic situation.

 

At about the same time as I submitted this memorandum, which is related to a concern for international peace and security, I made a humanitarian proposal, also in the exercise of my responsibilities and within my competence as Secretary­General, aimed at facilitating the process of voluntary repatriation of refugees by establishing on both sides of the border a limited representation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As an initial step, I suggested that such representatives should be stationed in two or three areas to be selected by the two Governments, in consultation with him. The Government of Pakistan accepted my suggestion, but the Government of India did not on the grounds that it was not preventing the refugees from returning to East Pakistan.

 

Recently, I also took an initiative for the strengthening of the United Nations relief operation in East Pakistan. On the recommendation of my representative in Dacca, I approved a plan to increase considerably the United Nations personnel for this operation, thus greatly improving its effectiveness. This would also put the Organisation in a better position to assure the international community, and donors in particular, that all supplies reach their destination-the people of East Pakistan. It is my hope that with this strengthening of the United Nations operation, more contributions will be obtained for the relief and rehabilitation that are so urgently needed in East Pakistan.

 

In a disaster of such vast proportions, the international community has a clear obligation to help the Governments and peoples concerned in every possible way. But as I have indicated, the basic problem can be solved only if a political solution based on reconciliation and the respect of humanitarian principles is achieved.

 

 

 

Source: Bangladesh Documents, vol – II, p.319 – 321