Extracts from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's address at the Moscow University
September 29, 1971

.... The efforts of the Indian people are often thwarted by forces beyond our control. Earlier this year in our General Elections, the people of India gave us a mandate for progress. We were about to embark upon a new programme of economic advance, when from across our frontiers we had a new kind of invasion: not of armed men, but of a vast influx of helpless terror-stricken men, women and children from East Bengal-some wounded, some ill and all hungry. More than 9 million people have come in the last six months, and they continue to pour in. Has there been a greater migration in history?

When millions of people are pushed into another's territory, jeopardizing its normal life, its plans for the future, and its very security, it is obvious that peace is in peril. We have shown the greatest forbearance, but it is essential that the basic cause of the crisis be immediately removed by a political solution acceptable to the people concerned. Unfortunately, there is no sign that this is being attempted. It is the world's responsibility to create without further delay conditions to enable the refugees to return to their homes in safety and dignity ....

Source: Bangladesh Documents, vol – II, p.241