Delhi, July 7
Fears that the tension on the borders of East and West Bengal may spread to the more dangerous and sensitive territory of Kashmir were substantiated today when the Indian Government accused Pakistan of preparing to send infiltrators across the cease-fire line in the disputed north-western state.
After several members of the Congress party had expressed fears in Parliament today that Pakistan was planning to divert the world's attention from East Pakistan to Kashmir, Mr K C. Pant, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that the Government “is aware of certain preparations across the cease-fire line for sending infiltrators into Kashmir for subversive activities”.
Mr Pant declared that the Army units and para-military forces stationed in Kashmir had been placed on alert. “The Army and security forces of the centre and the state governments are aware of the threat and there is full preparedness to meet it. The utmost vigilance is being maintained.”
The Minister refused to give the House details of the information received by the intelligence services as this would not be in the public interest, he said.
If the Indian allegations are correct, a confrontation between India and Pakistan would appear to be inevitable. Mr Pant reminded Parliament today that the Indo-Pakistan conflict in 1965 was triggered off after infiltrators from Pakistan swarmed into Kashmir.
“We are aware the threat exists once again today but we are in a much better state of affairs to meet the danger now", Mt Pant declared.
The grave threat to the peace and stability of the sub-continent already existing in the continuing supply of American military equipment to Pakistan, was emphasized today by Mrs Gandhi, the Prime Minister, in a meeting with Dr. Henry Kissinger, President Nixon’s adviser on national security.
Dr Kissinger, who met the Indian Prime Minister and Mr Swaran Singh, the Foreign Minister, in Delhi, was told in strong terms that India viewed the continued supply of arms to Pakistan with " serious concern ”.
It is understood that Dr Kissinger said that recent shipments of arms to Pakistan were marginal but Mrs Gandhi retorted that even, if this were so, the political weight of the United States decision was far in excess of its military importance.
Dr Kissinger, who handed Mrs Gandhi a personal letter of explanation from President Nixon, pointed out that the shipment of arms which had left New York after the United States imposed a ban on the sale of military equipment on March 25, comprised spare parts and non-lethal weapons.
Reliable sources said that Mrs Gandhi told Dr Kissinger bluntly that in India's view any screw or tank link which would convert a grounded aircraft or a tank into “an engine of destruction” could be considered a lethal weapon.
Dr Kissinger also explained that Pakistan ships had been allowed to leave New York with a cargo of American arms last month because of a bureaucratic muddle. The contract for the arms sale had been ratified before March 25 and legally the United States could do nothing to stop the ships, he is reported to have said.
Mrs Gandhi went on to inform Dr Kissinger that the massive exodus of refugees from East Bengal was threatening India's economy and political structure and she warned President Nixon that the problem would have to be solved quickly.
Any solution, she said would have to provide a political framework which would give any reasonable person in the refugee camps the assurance that they can return home with a sense of security and in safety.
At an earlier meeting, Mr Swaran Singh asked Dr Kissinger to request Mr Nixon to impose a total and immediate ban on the sale of arms to Pakistan. Unless the world, and particularly the United States, ensured that neither military nor economic aid reached the central government of Pakistan, there could be no hope of a just political settlement under which the refugees could return home with “credible guarantees” for their safety.
Dr Kissinger, who will meet President Yahya Khan in Islamabad tomorrow, did not commit Mr Nixon to any assurance.