Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XI, South Asia Crisis, 1971
Document 129
129. Telegram From
the Embassy in Pakistan
to
the Department of State
1
Islamabad
,
August 20, 1971, 1320Z
.
8534. From
Williams
. Subject: Meeting with President
Yahya
, August 19, 1971 (
M.M. Ahmad
, Ambassador
Farland
and
Williams
attending).

1.
After reading President
Nixon
ʼs letter of August 14,
2
President
Yahya
said he is deeply appreciative of President
Nixon
ʼs continuing understanding, warm support and friendship.
Williams
briefly underlined President
Nixon
ʼs concern of possibility of serious food shortage in
EP
, the danger that this would bring further large scale outflow of refugees to India, and that continued flow of refugees to India would create an explosive situation and could be seized as pretext for war by India. President
Nixon
seeks to alleviate this danger by pressing the Indians for restraint—and more will be done in this regard—and by all-out support for relief assistance, both through the United Nations and directly.
2.
President
Yahya
stated he fully alerted to danger of hostilities. Indeed, he was the one who had sounded the alarm. He wished to make one thing clear. There was not at this time a continuing flow of refugees leaving East Pakistan. These were erroneous charges by India. His army was on the border and he could assure us that no refugees were leaving. Indians were mounting attacks against Pakistan, preventing refugees from returning, arming guerrillas, and misleading the world as to the nature of the refugee situation. He said the Indians had shown damn little restraint to date.
3.
Williams
welcomed reassurance that the refugee flow being stopped, and repeated importance of dealing with potential food shortages as continuing deterrent to large movement of refugees in future. It was clear from discussions of past two days that President
Yahya
ʼs appreciation of danger of famine was same as ours and that he was launching an energetic program to assure continued supply of food to the people of East Pakistan. We also recognized his statesmanlike step in accepting the United Nations field team.
4.
President
Yahya
said that initiative in calling for international relief had been his. It had been slow in coming. Considering the delays that had taken place in the
UN
response, it was fortunate that food stocks in East Pakistan had been adequate. He said the
U.S.
and other countries are providing coastal vessels and mini-bulkers to transport food by river, but only a few had arrived.
Williams
responded that if foodstocks had not been adequate to cover needs of last four weeks, the
U.S.
would have airlifted food, and that massive efforts were underway to supply
U.S.
food assistance to East Pakistan. Pakistanʼs own efforts in the relief program under Presidentʼs direction were outstanding.
Williams
stressed that relief program strengthens the governmentʼs position in East Pakistan, helps to correct international misimpression that Pakistanʼs major efforts in East Pakistan are primarily military, and partially deals with the critical problem of refugees.

President
Yahya
said that to date his government had not been successful in getting its case across to the international press of the many constructive things that they were attempting to do in East Pakistan. Government makes the information available but the
New York Times
doesnʼt print it. In order to put their case forward they have to buy space in American newspapers. However, he fully appreciated
U.S.
help with the relief effort and welcomed
Williams
visit as means of reviewing adequacy of their own plans and preparation.
5.
Williams
said priority which Pres.
Yahya
placed on the relief effort was evident from the very able civil officers now being assigned to the relief effort. He would focus on five specific operational areas which had been the subject of discussion with
M.M. Ahmad
.
3
The first concerned the movement of food from the ports. The government recognized it would take an all-out effort, and had assigned Commodore Bajwa as advisor to the Governor on Food and Transport. President
Yahya
replied that river transport must be effectively organized and he had recalled Bajwa from retirement to take on this task; with the limited movement possible by rail and road the movement of water transport assumed priority importance and every effort would be made to see that the required tonnages were moved. He regretted that such a low priority had been placed in the past on river transport.
6.
Second concern, beyond movement from the ports to the main centers which was going to strain capacity to the utmost, was the problem of local distribution. Here he understood that the governmentʼs plan was to mobilize small boats and trucks. Up to now smaller country boats had not been moving in adequate numbers.
Williams
welcomed appointment of Muzafar Husain as chief secretary who had outlined a plan for bringing small boats and commercial trucks back into service by high incentive payments.
Williams
said this was first sensible proposal he has heard on the subject of local transport and distribution and believed it could do the job. President
Yahya
replied Muzafar Husain was the man for this job. The former chief secretary was a Bengali and the Bengali administrative service was still dispirited and ineffectual. He pointed out that they had had a request with
UN
for trucks which were essential.
Williams
replied that he had asked for and expected receive list of overall requirements, including trucks, which we would seek to provide through the
UN
or directly.
The third operational problem concerned the low level of economic activity in East Pakistan. There is need rapidly increase relief programs and expand incomes if people are to be able to buy food, recognizing

that the governmentʼs program was one of providing works relief rather than free distribution.
M.M. Ahmad
said our initial $10 million in rupees had been recently provided for relief works. He agreed there was need rapidly and flexibly to expand relief work as a means of restoring purchasing power and confidence.
7.
A critical problem in effectiveness of relief operation was the question of administration which had always been weak in
EP
. The Presidentʼs assignment of outstanding civil officers to key positions recognized this need. However
Williams
respectfully suggested that one officer be designated as being operationally charged with overall supervision of food transport and relief. Some eight different senior officials below governor were concerned with various aspects of program. President
Yahya
replied that he was in charge and that he held the governor responsible for the program and he had assigned different officers to different aspects of it, yet he realized the governor was too busy to be directly concerned. Turning to
M.M. Ahmad
he asked if there was a need as he saw it to designate one overall responsible official.
Ahmad
replied that he believed it would be helpful and suggested that the new chief secretary, Muzafar Husain be given this assignment. President
Yahya
so ordered.
8.
To extent that responsibility for civil affairs could continue to be transferred from military to civil officers both military and civil efforts would benefit,
Williams
observed. Was it possible to consider separating functions of
MLA
and civil authority which were now combined in the single position held by
Tikka Khan
? President
Yahya
turned to
Ahmad
and said that this was a shrewd guess at his intentions. He would shortly announce a civilian Bengali Governor
4
for Civil Affairs and a new Martial Law Administrator for Military Affairs.
9.
A further operational problem was that of equity in distribution of relief supplies.
Williams
said that one of our observers had reported that relief in cyclone disaster area was being refused to Hindus. Perhaps this was a local problem but it was matter of concern since if Hindus throughout province were being discriminated against they almost certainly would all leave
EP
which would mean that flow of refugees could rise to over 10 million. President
Yahya
replied that it

was not his policy to discriminate against Hindus. He had given firm instructions to this effect and he would reaffirm these instructions.
10.
President
Yahya
went on to discuss his plans to associate Bengalis in administration of province by clearing 88 of former Awami League representatives to National Assembly. Asked if it was possible that more than 88 might be cleared he said all the others were being specifically charged with crimes but that it was possible that they could clear themselves of these charges and then take their seat in next National Assembly. He said that only some 15 or 16 of the 88 were presently in Dacca and they were being protected by the government since they feared for their lives. The rest of 88 were either in the countryside or in India. He did not know how many of them would come forward to claim their seat but he supposed he would have to set some kind of a deadline on this.
11.
Williams
wondered if reluctance to come forward might not be related to fact that
AL
was an outlawed party. Perhaps if the President recognized that
AL
had been cleansed of old leadership he could lift ban on party and deal with the 88 as members of a reconstructed
AL
. After some discussion of this point from several angles it was quite clear that President
Yahya
refused to deal with any group however cleansed under name of Awami League.
5
He regarded the 88 as having been certified as individuals and indeed said that he was severely criticized in West Pakistan for having cleared as many as 88 of former
AL
members to take their seats in next assembly if they came forward.
12.
It was agreed that
M.M. Ahmad
and
Williams
should consult further concerning a consortium meeting, perhaps in September in Washington at the time of the World Bank meeting to consider Pakistanʼs debt problem and the need for relief and reconstruction assistance in
EP
.
Williams
urged that a possible third agenda item be prepared concerning the overall needs for economic assistance which would be brought forward at the time of the meeting if circumstances seem favorable.
13.
As the meeting drew to a conclusion the Ambassador made reference to a casual remark made by Pres.
Yahya
to the effect that he was hoping to move towards a civilian government at an early date. Using this as a point of departure, he re-opened the general discussion of the
GOP
ʼs moves on refugees and food distribution. The Ambassador stated that, taken together, the numerous specific acts promulgated by the
MLA

add up to a major effort on both subjects. However, he added, the manner in which these various actions were taken and the piecemeal announcement of each through the press had created little or no impact on world understanding of what the
GOP
was actually doing nor on the problem of the refugee outflow. At this juncture
Yahya
said that in his opinion his government had failed miserably vis-à-vis India in its public relations effort, that perhaps it was partly his fault since he, as a military man, had not been raised with a public relations textbook at his side; nevertheless, whosever fault it may be, the fact remained that the
GOP
lacks expertise in all aspects of
PR
relationships. The Ambassador hastened to agree, saying that he had made mention of this problem to various high
GOP
authorities, beginning with Ambassador
Agha Hilaly
even prior to accreditation to Pakistan. The Ambassador then went on to say that, even though the
GOP
and Pres.
Yahya
had promulgated various
MLA
regulations and had made various statements concerning both the problem of refugees and the problem of food, it was imperative that all of these promulgations of state must be reiterated time and time again in order for the message to get across and the refugees impressed with the factual authenticity which the
GOP
meant to convey.
14.
Referring thereafter to
Yahya
ʼs comment re civilian participation in the
GOEP
, the Ambassador suggested that any announcement which
Yahya
planned to make on this subject should carry with it a restatement of the entire “package” which the
GOP
had promulgated to date, and that the same should be so tailored as to get maximum news impact both in Pakistan, India and in the Western world.
Yahya
replied by stating that, “I think this is an excellent suggestion and Iʼll do it; I will couple it with my planned announcement.”
Yahya
then turned to
M.M. Ahmad
, who continued to take extensive notes on the conversation, and said, “Be sure that this is done.” A general conversation then ensued concerning the fact that Pakistan had poorly presented its side of the case before the world, that the press by and large today was antagonistic as to Pakistanʼs actions and purposes towards East Pakistan, and the difficulties which ensued to those nations which sought to help Pakistan regain its status in the world community.
Farland
Contents
Preface
Sources
Abbreviations