BOMBAY, India, April 10—The move by the military Government of Pakistan to suppress East Pakistani secessionism by force has introduced critical new strains and grave uncertainties into the affairs of a nation already afflicted by economic malaise and political instability.

So far censorship has kept the facts of the situation from the Pakistani public. They may never become known in Pakistan but their repercussions will and these could eventually be serious. This correspondent has spent the last six weeks in Pakistan—three in the East and three in the West.

The Government has stopped foreign newspapers and news magazines from entering West, Pakistan for fear of articles that would undermine the GovIernment's version of events in the East. A person who listens to foreign radio broadcasts on East Pakistan events has to whisper when relaying the news for fear of being reported as subversive.

At the moment the Government is reporting the difficulties of the East Pakistan situation to the people of the West by focusing on alleged Indian involvement, playing on deeprooted fears and resentments of India.

Bland Account Given

The people know only a bland version of the surprise onslaught by troops, tanks and mortars against mostly unarmed civilians in Dacca and other cities on the night of March 25. his was almost 24 hours before President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan publicly announced in Karachi that he had ordered an armed crackdown in the East, which is separated from the West by 1,000 miles of Indian territory.

West Pakistanis have been told that the Awami League and its leader, Sheik Mujibur Rahman do not have great support among East Pakistanis who, it is contended, gave the league a mandate in recent elections only to achieve provincial autonomy and not the virtual separation from the West that the league finally began to stand for.

By President Yahya's order, all political activity has been suspended throughout the country, but this has not prevented Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the leader of the nationalist and socialist Pakistan Peoples party, from further building the position he gained when his party won the most seats in West Pakistan and majority positions in the key provinces of Sind and the Punjab in last year's National Assembly elections.

Mr. Bhutto is riding the wave of general approval of the Government action in the East and has promoted himself as the champion of national unity.

Hailed as a Patriot

Mr. Bhutto has told party members to be on their good behavior and cooperate fully with the martial‐law Yahya Government in the critical circumstances. Generals who formerly looked askance at what they considered Mr. Bhutto's radicalism now call him “a great patriotic Pakistani.” This gives support to critics who say that despite Mr. Bhutto's election‐time attacks on military rule, he might be willing to ally himself with the military as the top civilian in a civilian‐military Government.

Pakistan's military rule was to have given way to a constitutional government formulated by the National Assembly. But the Assembly was postponed by General Yahya. The act brought strikes in the East and led to the current crisis.

Mr. Bhutto has taken the position that new elections will not be necessary, perhaps just some special arrangements about East Pakistani representation. But through subordinates he is beginning to hint at favoring new balloting.

This means he believes that as a result of his increased stature he could emerge with more votes than ever. Only Sheik Mujib had stood in the way of his being Prime Minister and now that obstacle apparently has been removed.

In East Pakistan, the political situation may be dealt with through the appointment of civilian provincial ministers to sit with Lieut. Gen. Tikka Khan, the military Governor. Already a score or more of second‐and third‐rank East Bengali politicians have come forward to offer their cooperation with the Governor.

Another factor in the political situation for the country as a whole is the fact that not all generals share President Yahya's desire to give power to representatives. The generals could in the future bring strong pressure for the continuation of a military regime.

Thus the political outlook is uncertain and rendered more so by the other adverse circumstances. The economy is faltering with an unbalanced budget and an almost empty foreign exchange reserve due to poor recent export earnings and delayed foreign aid contributions for this year.