The Indian delegate stands with great vigor, and his face fails to mask his fury and disgust at the words of the Chinese delegate.
Doctor of Oblivion wrote: ↑07:55:13 Thursday, 08 February, 2018
(The Ambassador from the People's Republic of China arrives and looks around the room in envy. He spots the ambassador from the Republic of China and gives him a death state, mouthing the word "soon" while pointing at his chair)
We believe it is appropriate to discuss the context of this conflict before starting the peace process. The People's Republic of China acted to defend its ally in Pakistan and to defend the peace process. The government of Pakistan had agreed to a unilateral ceasefire as seen by this diplomatic exchange below.
We would like to call upon the Pakistani military to engage in a unilateral ceasefire with all rebel factions so that rebels can withdraw to safe zones. After a period of one week the army can attack rebels outside these safe zones or ones that attack the Pakistani government. The Pakistani military cannot enter these safe zones. Likewise we would call upon the Maoist rebels to also engage in a ceasefire.
Pakistan will agree to that, provided that if they are attacked by rebels based in any safe zone, the safe zone status is revoked for that zone alone. They are concerned that the safe zones will become basing areas for renewed and intensified attacks. They also want the zones termed "ceasefire zones" or "humanitarian zones". And they'd like troops from friendly nations stationed there to prevent India taking advantage. Perhaps some of the Arab nations, or Iran or Turkey, or any combination thereof.
This agreement was publicly announced by the People's Daily. China also announced it was deploying peacekeepers to oversee the conflict. Yet instead of engaging in the peace process and letting diplomacy triumph, India felt the need to invade. This invasion was not sanctioned by any international body, nor was it followed by a declaration of war. It was an illegal and cowardly attack. India deliberately undermined Chinese efforts to secure an end to the conflict to weaken the state of Pakistan. India will no doubt claim that Pakistan was going to violate the ceasefire, but we must ask, why not wait until this happens? What ifs and hypotheticals should not be the reasons we go to war. China invaded India in response to the attacks on our men.
We leave the International community to consider these facts while debating how to respond to this conflict. Despite misgivings about the fairness and precedent set by this conflict we believe that the Soviet plan is rather sound. All groups within East Pakistan must be included in the peace process for it to have any success. We believe that the Republic of India should be sanctioned and condemned for its reckless rush into war. Refusing to do so sets a dangerous precedent for international conflicts. We also believe that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan should be allowed to weigh in on these issues.
We absolutely agree- context must be provided, so that we may deconstruct the Chinese argument and fully demonstrate to the United Nations the sheer malice that both the Pakistani and Chinese governments hold to the ailing Bengali people, that they'd actively cooperate to exterminate them.
The conflict has deeper roots than this, but following this particular cyclone, the most devastating cyclone in human history, it can be said that the straw had finally broken the camels back- the Bengali people were utterly sick and tired of their freedoms being trampled on by the Pakistani government- they wanted more from life.
*An estimated half a million people are killed when a tropical cyclone hits the densely populated Ganges Delta in East Pakistan.
And the systemic incompetence of the Pakistani government: (though we attribute it to malice.)
A week after the cyclone's landfall, President Khan conceded that his government had made "slips" and "mistakes" in its handling of the relief efforts. He said there was a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the disaster. He also said that the general election slated for December 7 would take place on time, although eight or nine of the worst affected districts might experience delays, denying rumours that the election would be postponed.
The Pakistan Red Crescent began to operate independently of the government as the result of a dispute that arose after the Red Crescent took possession of 20 rafts donated by the British Red Cross. A pesticide company had to wait two days before it received permission for two of its crop dusters, which were already in the country, to carry out supply drops in the affected regions. The Pakistani government only deployed a single helicopter to relief operations, with Yahya Khan later stating that there was no point deploying any helicopters from West Pakistan as they were unable to carry supplies.
A reporter for the Pakistan Observer spent a week in the worst hit areas in early January and saw none of the tents supplied by relief agencies being used to house survivors and commented that the grants for building new houses were insufficient. The Pakistan Observer regularly carried front-page stories with headlines like "No Relief Coordination", whilst publishing government statements saying "Relief operations are going smoothly." In January, the coldest period of the year in East Pakistan, the National Relief and Rehabilitation Committee, headed by the editor of Ittefaq, said thousands of survivors from the storm were "passing their days under [the] open sky". A spokesman said families who were made homeless by the cyclone were receiving up to 250 rupees to rebuild, but that resources were scarce and he feared the survivors would "eat the cash".
Members of the Council, there exists no reasonable doubt that the Pakistani government failed it's responsibilities as a government. How many innocent people died because of government incompetence in relief efforts? Too many, we would say.
Let us look now to the following election- the election of the party we now recognize as the legal government of Bangladesh. The 1970 Pakistani General election, as it is known, was a landslide victory for the Awami League. Elected off the back of Pakistani incompetence, the League spearheaded the so-called "Six Point Movement". Following it's victory, achieving 288 of the 300 provincial assembly seats in East Pakistan, as well as 167 of the 169 National Assembly seats, the Awami League was in a decisive position to form a government without needing to enter into a coalition, and implement the Six Point Plan; which we will now look at:
The Constitution should provide for a Federation of Pakistan in its true sense based on the Lahore Resolution, and the parliamentary form of government with supremacy of a Legislature directly elected on the basis of universal adult franchise.
The federal government should deal with only two subjects: Defence and Foreign Affairs, and all other residual subjects should be vested in the federating states.
Two separate, but freely convertible currencies for two wings should be introduced; or if this is not feasible, there should be one currency for the whole country, but effective constitutional provisions should be introduced to stop the flight of capital from East to West Pakistan. Furthermore, a separate Banking Reserve should be established and separate fiscal and monetary policy be adopted for East Pakistan.
The power of taxation and revenue collection should be vested in the federating units and the federal centre would have no such power. The federation would be entitled to a share in the state taxes to meet its expenditures.
There should be two separate accounts for the foreign exchange earnings of the two wings; the foreign exchange requirements of the federal government should be met by the two wings equally or in a ratio to be fixed; indigenous products should move free of duty between the two wings, and the constitution should empower the units to establish trade links with foreign countries.
East Pakistan should have a separate military or paramilitary force, and Navy headquarters should be in East Pakistan.
The plan would grant significant autonomy to East Pakistan, and finally allow the people to free themselves from the ever-tightening grip of the West Pakistani governments. Had the Awami League been able to implement this plan, members of the Council, we state with certainty that this crisis would not have occurred. Pakistan would still be a unified state, and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians would not be lying in mass graves throughout East Pakistan, with many more displaced.
But they were not able to implement this plan. Instead, this happened:
*The Pakistani President indefinitely postpones the upcoming National Assembly session, prompting protests in East Pakistan. In response, the Pakistani Army occupies its distant eastern province.
Which led to, rightfully, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to make his historic speech to rise up against the tyranny of West Pakistan.
*Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, East Pakistani political leader, calls on people to prepare to fight for their independence.
Which then, members of the Council, led to the absolutely horrendous crimes against humanity- a systemic genocide orchestrated by the Pakistani military.
denounced as a genocide by critics of the regime, with apparent reports of hundreds of thousands of Bengalis are killed or raped, with many more fleeing as refugees into India. Some estimates for the violence list the numbers of casualties in the millions. Pakistan maintains it is responding to an internal rebellion and the question remains one of its sovereignty and is a domestic matter.
*From within East Pakistan and the surrounding area of Bengal, imagery pours out of the horrors within. Photos, video, personal testimonies, and more all speak to the violence being perpetrated there, with the Pakistani Army at the centre of events. Condemnations of the violence pour in, particularly from non-Western nations.
We thank the People's Republic for mentioning how necessary context is- indeed, context is absolutely vital if the United Nations as a whole is to operate. We have provided adequate context that completely delegitimize the blatant Chinese imperialism that would seek to deny the Bengali people their freedom, and there is no doubt that the Pakistani government is a regime which actively practices genocide.
As for the ceasefire? Our talks with the Chinese government revealed just how unhinged and powerhungry they are. Ignoring the fact that the People's Republic referred to the Pakistani elections as "Bourgeious elections", going on to say "We think our skepticism in Bourgeious elections is already well known throughout the world. The Proletariat Party speaks for the will of the workers", this being said as they are invading India to support a regime elected by said "bourgeois" elections, there is one simple fact that proves there were no grounds for unilateral intervention by the People's Republic.
*As part of an attempt to secure a ceasefire, the PRC begins airlifting troops into East Pakistan in an attempt to observe a potential ceasefire. However despite Pakistani willingness, the Bangladeshi provisional government refuses to broker a peace while the army perpetrates violence. Attempts to broker a peace break down.
Members of the Council- the Bangladeshi government rightfully refused this ceasefire which was to be forced on them. The People's Republic, in spite of this, deployed a full 2 units from the PLA to East Pakistan, which led to the Mukti Bahini being outnumbered three to one. The Pakistani government has done absolutely nothing to show remorse over their crimes, and yet the People's Republic had the gall to demand the instatement of a ceasefire, even as the blood of innocent women and children runs down the Ganges?
For too long have the Bengali people lingered under foreign rule- famine and famine, disaster after disaster, these foreign governments have failed to act in the best interests of the people. Neither India or, most importantly, the Bengali people will tolerate this any longer. The Awami League was elected in a most powerful show of democracy, and we will not let the totalitarian society of the People's Republic impose itself onto the Indian subcontinent, to ruin the lives of millions.
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