Delhi, July 28
In an apparent effort to sabotage Indo-British relations, highly placed pro-Soviet officials in the Indian Foreign Ministry are trying to erase any impression that Britain has taken a sympathetic stand on the question of East Pakistan. They are seeking to convince both public and legislative opinion that Britain is standing squarely behind President Yahya Khan.

This, it seems, is being done because the pro-Soviet lobby in the Foreign Ministry and Mrs Gandhi’s Government are embarrassed by the United Kingdom’s comparatively strong stand on East Pakistan and Moscow’s equivocal efforts to remain in favour in both Islamabad and Delhi, a highly reliable informant told me today.

There is certainly abundant evidence to support my informants contention. At present pro-Soviet officials in the bureaucracy are trying to whip up anti-British feelings by privately informing selected journalists and legislators that Britain is promoting Pakistan’s plans to induct United Nations observers on to both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border—a proposal that an official spokesman recently described as a “hostile act”.

My informant points out that while the bureaucracy and Mrs Gandhi and her ministers continue to defend the Soviet Union’s position with regard to East Bengal and to praise Moscow at every turn, the Government has decided to ignore the embarrassing fact that Britain has taken even stronger measures to bring President Yahya Khan to his senses and, as such, Britain's role has been blacked out in official circles.

As evidence of the Foreign Ministry’s double standards my informant cites parliamentary records which prove that the Government has remained mute and has refused to correct distorted and false allegations levelled against Britain.

While Mrs Gandhi, the Minister, and their advisers on foreign policy might feel embarrassed over the position, there can be no doubt that the official stance and public opinion in Britain have certainly been more forthright than India's major ally.

Apart from one request by Mr Podgorny, the Soviet President, to President Yahya Khan io end the repression in East Pakistan, Moscow has been sitting on the fence since April. Russian press commentaries indicate that the Soviet Union has in fact been backtracking to a neutral position in recent weeks.

While India has made quite clear to the United States and Britain that any attempt to describe the holocaust in East Pakistan as an Indo-Pakistan issue would be considered an unfriendly act, Russian commissions have so far been ignored.

The Indian Government is also embarrassed by the fact that the Russians have so far refused to follow Britain’s example of cutting off new aid to Pakistan until a realistic political settlement is achieved. Instead, the Government, while searching for any opportunity to attack Britain, is attempting to cover up the Soviet Union's policy on aid.