Speech #920119818

Mr. President. the heavy influx of refugees from East Pakistan has sorely taxed the already overburdened resources of India. Because the refugee population has now reached 9 million. pressures are mounting in India to take military action against East Pakistan to stem the tide of refugees. Indeed. the threat of war hangs heavy over India and Pakistan. The New York Times. in an article written by Malcolm Browne and published on October 26. 1971. reports that "501 enemy troops defined as Indians and Indian agents" were killed by West Pakistan forces. In fact. the Times further reported that "these statistics indicate that the fighting had reached its greatest intensity since the brief IndoPakistani conflict in 1965." It is all too apparent that the mobilization of forces along the IndoPakistani .frontiers is intensifying the threat of war.