The decision of the State Home Ministers’ conference to hand over the policing of the borders to the Centre is a welcome one. It meets the Jana Sangh demand in this respect. The existing border police needs to be reorganised and fully equipped with arms to combat ever-increasing border violations by Pakistan.
The Home Minister also decided to give training in the use of arms to the civil population of the border areas; and also to supply those arms on a liberal scale. As things are, anti-national and pro-Pak elements are likely to seize this opportunity only to subvert India’s security. It is necessary that the ten miles belt along the border is cleared of all elements whose loyalty to the country can easily be under-mined by the enemy. There people should be properly rehabilitated in the interior regions. Displaced persons from East Bengal should be selected in the area so vacated.
Pakistan press and authorities are creating conditions of growing insecurity for the minorities in East Bengal. It is likely that they may force a fresh wave of communal frenzy and mass exodus of Hindus to India. The Government of India should give a clear warning to the Government of Pakistan that it shall no longer be a passive spectator of any crimes against the Hindus in East Bengal, and instead of receiving the migrants it shall be constrained to resort to “Police Action” in the solemn discharge of its obligations.
Now that the Wilson proposals have become a dead letter due to Pakistan’s intransigence, the Government of India should not bind itself unilaterally to any of the terms of the proposals. It should consider itself free from the commitment of the ‘de facto’ cease-fire in Kutch, and allow free and full scope to the military to take measures to recover the lost territory.
It is reported that President Nasser is thinking of arranging a meeting of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Chinese Prime Chou En-lie. Shri Shastri’s refusal to comment on this news is likely to be misunderstood as his tacit consent to the proposal. Communist China has committed aggression against India and it continues to hold our territory illegally. Further, its response to the Colombo proposals, to which U.A.R. had been a party, has never been favourable.
Under the circumstances no useful purpose is likely to be served by such a meeting. On the contrary it will lower Bharat in the esteem of people throughout the world, create doubts in the minds of our friends in regard to our determination to re-establish our territorial integrity, and encourage aggressors. Prime Minister Shastri should reiterate the Government’s earlier stand.
(This article was published in Organiser on June 21, 1965)
