Mr. President. my distinguished colleague from Ohio and myself submit today an amendment to the International Security bill. S. 1657. which would suspend U.S. military and economic aid to Pakistan until food and medical relief. supervised by an international agency such as the United Nations. is instituted on a regular basis throughout ast Bengal and the majority of Pakistanti refugees now in India are repatriated. The people of East Pakistan. larger in number than the whole population of West Pakistan. have been hardhit by two calamities in less than a yearthe cyclonetidal wave disaster and a savage civil war in which an estimated half million have been killed. and millions more driven from their homes. Food. medical supplies. clothing. and other essentials are desperately needed. A fullscale international relief operation is mandatory. There are now close to 5 million Bengali refugees in neighboring India. with approximately 40.000 more arriving each day. The economic and social disruption resulting from such a massive influx of people imposes an unbearable burden upon India itself. More dangerous to the outside world. however. is the serious threat the refugees pose to peace between India and Pakistan. The creation of another refugee problem along the Indian border. like that which plagues the Middle East. would be alarming in its implications for the future. Under these circumstances. the United States must apply such leverage as it can to alleviate this human tragedy through the implementation of essential international relief and the speedy repatriation of refugees. Such is the purpose of our amendment.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees