Special to The New York Times

LONDON, June 9.-The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, made a strong appeal today for a political settlement in East Pakistan, terming an essential condition for any permanent solution to the Pakistani refugee disaster.

Speaking in an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the relief situation in East Pakistan and India, Sir Alec said the real tragedy lay in the fact that this was not a natural disaster but a political one.

He said the relief of immediate suffering should be followed "very soon by the creation of a political framework in which civil government can be formed and which will give confidence to the refugees to return home."

Sir Alec also urged continued restraint in the tense relations between Pakistan and India. Otherwise, he said, "the danger of war would be very real and would convert what is already a tragedy into a catastrophe.

Politicians of all parties rose to deplore the disorders in East Pakistan and to express concern at the plight of the refugees. The refugee flow began last March after the Pakistani Army moved against East Pakistani secessionists.

Mrs. Judith Hart, the Labor party spokesman on overseas development, said: "The Government must not for one moment feel limited in any efforts they can make about who is going to pay the bill at the end of the day."

Sir Alec, who reported yesterday that the Government had so far given $4.2-million for food and relief, said "We are ready to do substantially more as soon &S we can assess the need and the opportunities unfold."

He recalled that Britain had pressed the Pakistani President, Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan, to open East Pakistan to relief efforts and added that as soon as this is done, "we'll be making contributions there."

It is the Government's intention that all future development aid to Pakistan should be spent in East Pakistan, he said, but the Government feels unable to authorize new projects until normal civil life is restored.