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Dacca sues for Peace. Pindi says No!
Governor Malik asks for "Honourable Withdrawal" . Yahya disowns move

Dec 11, Dacca: In an apparent comedy of errors, The governor of East Pakistan, A H Malik prepared a "Cease-fire" Proposal to the UN in which Indian Troops were to withdraw from East Pakistan territory, A transfer of power to be given to the Bengalis and the 'Honorable' withdrawal of all west pakistani troops from East Pakistani Territory was to be conducted.

This proposal was floated to the UN Representative in Dacca by Governor Malik, who stated that it has the "Express Approval" of President Yahya Khan. He also reiterated that this proposal was not a "Surrender" Proposal but a proposal for "Peaceful transfer of Power".

In a beligerant tone, he mentioned that if the proposal was not accepted, then the Troops in East Pakistan will fight to the 'last man , last round'. This proposal was sent to Yahya Khan for approval. This proposal was today bought before Mr. Paul Henry, representative of UN Secretariat in New York, by Maj Gen Rao Farman Ali, who is the civilian advisor to Gen Niazi,

Commander of Pakistani troops in Bangladesh.

This proposal was immediately bought before the Security Council and discussions commenced on the implementation of such a move, which would ensure withdrawal of Pakistani troops and transfer of Power to Bangladesh.

Within hours of the news of this proposal, An announcement of Gen Yahya Khan from the West Pakistani capital of Rawalpindi disowned the ceasefire move. It said that there would be "No transfer of power", nor "Withdrawal of Pakistani Troops", but only a "Ceasefire" for "Peace and Tranquility" in the region.

Apparently the confusion seems to have occurred because the Governor sent the draft to Yahya Khan for approval and assuming that it will be approved in toto has tacitly advised Maj Gen Farman Ali to release it to the UN Rep. Yahya Khan's rejection of the original draft came too

late. The unapproved draft had already been put forward the Security Council.

What is significant in this entire comedy of errors is not the rejection of the original draft by Yahya, but that the fact that both the Military as well as the Civilian Administration in East Pakistan have resigned themselves of the futility of resisting in the war. For them the inevitability of an Independent Bangladesh is all too clear, even though the same clarity may not be there in Islamabad.

Indian planners have said that for such a proposal to come from East Pakistan meant that they have given up on the military resistance to continue in East Pakistan. It would only be a matter of days before we will see an independent Bangladesh.

Whether this will ensure a sucessful end to the hostilities and fighting is something they were not willing to speculate. It will depend on the "Pakistani intentions".