Delhi. July 18
The tension and fighting in East Pakistan anti on the border with India will increase dramatically within the next few weeks when thousands of newly trained guerrillas are thrown into combat against the West Pakistan forces, according to Bengali freedom fighters.

A senior official from the provisional government, who is on a confidential mission in Delhi, told me today 10,000 volunteers who have just completed a two-month training programme in camps near the Indo-Pakistan border have already been inducted into operational camps.

Another 15,000 volunteers will move into East Pakistan when they complete their training next month.

At present guerilla activity is being carried out by the professional soldiers and the remnants of the East Bengal Regiment and the trained defectors from the defunct East Pakistan Rifles. About 3.000 members of the East Bengal Regiment managed to regroup and form the nucleus of the liberation army after they were pushed back across the border in the early stages.

In addition about 7,000 men of the East Pakistan Rifles survived the initial onslaught and escaped with their weapons and a substantial quantity of captured arms.

While the Awami League claim that they already have 25,000 battle-seasoned men in the field, it would seem that the number of defectors from former military and para-military units in East Pakistan would not surpass the 10,000 mark.

However, with the addition of the newly trained guerrillas and the 15,000 volunteers still under training the liberation army will be able to boast a formidable strength of 35,000 men by the end of next month.

If the Awami League informant’s claims are correct, the 70,000 West Pakistan troops in East Bengal might soon have to contend with 35,000 guerrillas in territory where military experts estimate that a conventional army will require 10 men to each guerrilla.

My informant also said that tens of thousands of Bengali volunteers have arrived for training at some 200 camps on this side of the border, but the liberation army has not got the facilities to train them.

“For the time being we have sufficient funds”, he said. “We brought about £30m in rupees across the border when we left and converted into sterling on the black market. That is why the Pakistani regime demonetized large notes last month.

“We are receiving vast sums of money from our people abroad. In Britain, for instance, we are being supported by 140,000 East Bengalis and each one has been asked to contribute 50p a week.”

While my informant obviously must deny the fact that India has allocated a limited number of small arms to the guerrillas, it is equally obvious that the liberation army does not possess enough weapons to arm 35,000, and India is their only source of supply.

My informant said that the liberation army had ordered its troops to avoid an open confrontation with the West Pakistan troops.

“We plan to kill as many soldiers as possible an ambushes, disrupt their lines of communications and harass them generally.”

At the same time the left-wing political forces from East Pakistan have formed their own united front, the Bangla Desh National Liberation Struggle Coordination Committee. For the time being it will coordinate its programme with the plans of the more conservative Awami League.

While they have promised the “Prime Minister” of the provisional government, Mr Tajuddin Ahmed, that they will cooperate with the Awami League and the liberation army, the inherent dangers of the future are now plain.

With the advent of two armed guerrilla forces in the field many Bengalis fear that the ideological differences between the Awami League and the left-wing united front will erupt if and when the West Pakistanis withdraw, and that East Bengal will be plunged into a Vietnam type of situation if East Pakistan achieves independence.