Washington Star/Evening Star

The arrival of 6 million East Pakistani refugees, with thousands more coming daily, is a potential tragedy for India as well as for the unfortunates who have fled the devastation of Pakistan's civil war.

For India, the cost of taking care of such staggering numbers of refugees promises to be immense--several hundreds of millions of dollars that an overburdened economy can ill afford. The $50-million international aid effort for the refugees has been described by Prime Minister Gandhi as "pitiable and a tenth of what is required," and no one has refuted her.

The drain on India's financial and administrative resources could put a serious crimp in the vast nation's promising efforts to develop its economy. The effectiveness of economic-aid programs sponsored by the United States and other relatively well-off countries could be seriously compromised.

Aside from financial considerations, the presence of the refugees in such numbers poses a threat to indicts internal stability. Moslem refugees face resentment among India's dominant Hindus. And the appearance of Hindu refugees helps build up Indian feeling against the Pakistani regime, encouraging talk of a possible new India-Pakistan war. Ominously, it is noted that the 1965 war with Pakistan over Kashmir cost less than $70 million, a fraction of the prospective cost of handling the refugees.

For India, the need is two-fold: A massive increase in international aid for the refugees, and the creation of conditions in East Pakistan to permit their early repatriation. The United States should assume a full share of the aid responsibility, and apply all its influence toward the restoration of sanity in the stricken half of Pakistan, and the return of the refugees to their homes.