Calcutta. June 14
Indian and Pakistani troops poised on the Indo-Pakistan frontier across Bengal exchanged fire again today for the fourth time in three consecutive days, a spokesman for the Indian Border Security Force said tonight.

Although both the Indians and Pakistanis used mortars and medium machineguns during the incidents over the weekend, the half hour skirmish today was limited to small arms fire, the spokesman added.

The Indians allege that the Pakistanis had moved up to the post near Petrapole, the main Indian checkpoint on the highway to Jessore, and had opened-fire without provocation.

While Indian authorities have described the incident in itself as a minor border skirmish, the increasing degree of tension near this particular border post has grave implications. There have been many minor exchanges across the border during the past two months but most of the clashes hitherto have taken place between patrolling parties of Indian Border Security Forces and Pakistani scouts.

Today’s incident, however, occurred in an area where both the Indian and the Pakistani troops have moved up to the border in considerable strength and their fortifications are only 500 yards apart at many points.

Although both Mrs Gandhi and President Yahya Khan are certainly not planning to embark upon a premeditated war in the immediate future, the continuing number of skirmishes in the vicinity of Petrapole could possibly lead to a serious confrontation.

Although the Indians deny that they have deployed Army troops within five kilometres of the border, I have seen Sikhs from the Punjab Regiment and men of the Rajputs constructing a large row of fortifications about 100 yards from the border. It is impossible to see these fortifications from the border security check post a few hundred yards west of the border, but correspondents who have approached the border on flanking routes have discovered that bunker after bunker is being constructed on both sides of the road and along the railway embankment which runs parallel with the border.

When I visited the area last month I saw Sikhs and troops from the Rajput area constructing machinegun bunkers in full view of Pakistani troops who are entrenched in their positions behind a row of trees about 400 yards west of the border.

In the meantime Indian trains are continuing to run thousands of refugees out of Bengal to large camps in the hinterland. Two Russian transport aircraft arrived in Calcutta tonight to shuttle Bengalis to neighbouring states. However the Government admits that it will now be impossible to shift the millions of refugees to high ground before the monsoon floods the large camps situated on low-lying sites. In all, about 30,000 of the estimated 5,400,000 refugees have been shifted to other states.


Lahore, June 14.—Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan, military governor of East Pakistan, said tonight that India was moving up reservists in support of regular troops massed on the East Pakistan border and was now in a position to adopt offensive measures against Pakistan.

He told reporters on his arrival here that Pakistani forces were in a state of alert facing the Indians but not in an offensive posture.—Reuter.


Our Geneva Correspondent writes: The Pakistan Government has given the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, an assurance of its “full cooperation with regard to a repatriation action”, it was announced today by the commissioner's headquarters.

During his “extensive discussions” in Islamabad, with President Yahya Khan and senior officials, it was agreed that UNHCR will provide assistance to Pakistan in “arranging the return and rehabilitation of the displaced persons returning to East Pakistan”.

In addition, a UNHCR representative will be stationed at Dacca to maintain contact with the local East Pakistan authorities and to pay periodic visits to the score of reception centres prepared for refugees who wish to return to their homeland.

Prince Sadruddin today flew to Delhi.
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