Parliament, June 23,1971:
Relief aid to India raised to over £8m
House of Commons
SLR ALEC DOUGLAS-HOME, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Kinross and West Perth, C), in a statement on aid to India and Pakistan, said: The Prime Minister and I both had discussions on June 21 with Mr Swaran Singh, the Indian Minister for External Affairs, during which he made clear to us the concern which his Government feel about the situation in East Pakistan and the very great burden and the very great danger to stability created by the massive influx into India.

Following the recent meeting of the India Aid Consortium, HM Government are making available a further £5m in cash or in kind, to relieve the economic burden on the Government of India of supporting the refugees. Like other members of the consortium, we are giving this contribution over and above our normal developmental aid to India.

In addition, a further £1m will be made available by HM Government to U Thant's appeal for the direct relief of refugees in India. The total amount of assistance made available by HM Government for relief and rehabilitation in India will thus be increased to over £8m.

This is a humanitarian task having no relation to politics, in which I hope very many members of the United Nations will participate. Some 23 have so far done so.

An informal meeting of members of the Pakistan Aid Consortium on June 21 considered reports from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund representatives who had been visiting East Pakistan and had held discussions with the government in Islamabad.

No commitments of new aid of any kind were called for nor were any given, though all expressed their willingness to contribute to humanitarian relief in East Pakistan under, the effective surveillance of the United Nations.

HM Government’s policy remains that projects already in hand in Pakistan must continue, in so far as this is possible, but that there can be no question of new British aid to Pakistan until we have firm evidence that real progress is being made towards a political solution.

Conditions in East Pakistan continue to be disturbed. It is with great regret that I have to inform the House that two British subjects, Mr P. J. Chalmers and Mr J. Y. Boyd; both of whom were working on tea-planting estates in the Sylhet district, have been reported missing.

In spite of attempts by. British representatives both in East Pakistan and in India and inquiries made through the Pakistani Martial Law Administration and the Indian Government, we have been unable to obtain, any definite news of them.

In the circumstances there must be grave fear for their safety.

The President of Pakistan has reiterated his Government’s hope that those who have fled across the border to India will return to their homes and has undertaken that they will have no cause to fear should they do so. HM Government have represented to him the importance of restoring peaceful conditions in which confidence can once again take root and normal political life can be resumed.

Difficult decision

MR HEALEY. (Leeds. East, Lab) said the Opposition welcomed that the Foreign Secretary was giving £5m additional direct aid to the Indian Government on top of the existing aid ceiling.

We agree with what must have been a difficult decision (he said) not to give further aid to Pakistan until there, is further progress towards a political settlement.

The best way to initiate progress would be for the Pakistan Government to release Shaikh Mujibur Rahman from jail and begin negotiating with him as the elected representative of the overwhelming majority of the population in East Pakistan.

This is a precedent which was followed by previous British Governments in similar situations, not only in Kenya and Cyprus but also in the sub-continent itself. We in Britain have never had causé to regret taking such action.

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME— On the political point about what is to be the future of Pakistan and the political structure, it would not be helpful for me to make suggestions at this moment in public. We have made many suggestions in private.

The President , is to make a statement, on June 28. One would hope — and we have expressed this hope to him — that he would be able to bring together with West Pakistan the elected representatives from the East. We think this is essential.

MR PETER SHORE (Stepney, Lab)—Has the Foreign Secretary put to the Pakistan Government a proposal that some external body, that might be acceptable to them as well as to others, might be brought in to help supervise the situation there to see that a solution, when it is found, is truly acceptable to the people of that area.

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME— This is a difficult question. I am not anxious to make public statement on what we have or have not said to the President. We have indicated clearly that there must be a political settlement which is particularly acceptable to the people of East Pakistan.
I cannot go further. This must be settled by Pakistanis for Pakistanis.

SIR FREDERIC BENNETT (Torquay,. C)—When did we first learn of the fate of the two missing British- subjects? Is there any suggestion that the Pakistan army are responsible for this, because if that were so, it would have a profound effect on many of us who have done our best to maintain a balanced attitude in this matter?

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME— The facts art obscure. There is some hope in that one or both of them are said to have been seen over the Indian frontier.

MR STEEL (Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles, L) — I visited the family of Mr Boyd at the weekend in Hawick. Considerable distress was caused to them by a most unfortunate report in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, which stemmed from the unofficial parliamentary delegation in Pakistan, to the effect that Mr Boyd had been shot dead. This report is one of several’ conflicting and unconfirmed reports as to his whereabouts.
When does the Foreign Secretary expect to get the report from the British official in the High Commission in India who has now had permission to go up to the frontier area in India to make a search for these two men.

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME— We tried to do everything we could to locate these men and to get the true story of what has happened to them. It is difficult to do this but our missions at Dacca, Calcutta, Islamabad and Delhi are constantly on the job trying to trace them.

Premature

MR STONEHOUSE (Wednesbury. .Lab)—Without wishing to be disparaging about the £8m, this will pay Indian expenses for only about eight days.

Has the Foreign Secretary seen the report in The Times today from an experienced reporter in Calcutta confirming the genuine genocide in East Bengal. In view of this, will he undertake to take this problem to the Security Council so that action can be taken on behalf of the whole world community to bring this disaster to an end?

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME— No I would not give that undertaking. The Indian Government has made no such proposal and I think, therefore, we had better consider for the future, after the President has made his statement, what the chances are for large numbers of refugees coming back to East Pakistan. It would be premature to involve the United Nations in that respect.

MR ROBERT HUGHES (Aberdeen, North, Lab) — Would the Foreign Secretary consider sending a special search mission from this country to the border areas to try to find the men? In spite of the appalling suffering going on in that area, the suffering of the dependants of one person is important.

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME — I will consider any suggestion, but we have got everyone possible on the job looking for these two men. The Indian Government is cooperating because although we do riot know this for certain, it was on the Indian side of the frontier that they were last seen.