INDIA-PAKISTAN SITUATION REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100149-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 19, 2008
• Sequence Number: 149
• Publication Date: December 6, 1971
• Content Type: IM

 Approved For Release 2008/02/19: CIA-RDP85T00875R001100100149-1
c1 L "11111 .,,21b6171 SECRET ,;!3/c''''s.
OCI No. 2166/71
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate for Intelligence
6 December 1971
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
'I'ndi'a'-P'ak'i's't'a'n' 'S'itu'at'ion' Re~o'rt
West 'P'a'ki's't'an (As of 1230 EST).
1. The Indian strategy to destroy Pakistan
POL reserves in the west has met with 'only limited
success thus far. Heavy Indian air strikes at
Karachi have appardtly failed to destroy the off-
loa,ling capability in Karachi harbor or cause sig-
nificant damage the refinery there
Of the 'storage tanks hit by
e Indian air strikes, ,only two remain out of com-
mission. The Indians, however, ,are continuing to
push toward the Karachi area on the ground with the
apparent intention of i-aterdicting rail lines going
north and are continuing to bomb the 'area heavily.
Indian air strikes have been more effective at the
t
has ben pu out 'of com-
ion. The Attock refinery is the only one in
We t P k '
s
A
tock refinery near R indi which
the Indians have
in is a am age on e ,a cJ-is:an POL reserves in
the Multan area.
a istan outside of the Karachi area.
2, During the early hours after midnight on
6 December, Karachi' suffered its eighth 'air s3trike.
The attacking planes concentrated in the. vicinity
of the Muripur airbase and fire was heavy in various
parts of the city. The US. consulate in Karachi has
not been able to confirm reports. of downed aircraft
from the last two raids.
State Dept. review
completed
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3.' Sporadic air attacks continue on Lahore.
Most raids are aiiped at the Ravi bridge or. the
cantonment area and no reports of sigrificant
damage have reached US consular officials.
all PIA aircraft
are out of service and parked in Tehran or Jidda.
Crew members remaining in Karachi were evacuated
yesterday.
'E'ast' Pakis'tan
5. Although India and Pakistan agreed to a
temporary stand-down in air attacks on Dacca today
to facilitate the evacuatioa of UN-associated per-
sonnel,,the evacuation has not taken place because
planes with Bangla flesh markings have strafed the
airport. The incident reinforces a previous report
from UN officials in Bangkok, where the evacuee,
are to be flown, that the Indians insist that
negotiations for a stand-down must include repre-
sentatives of Bangla Desh. There is little clue-
tion but that the planes and pilots were actually
Indian or that the strikes were flown from Indian
territory.
6. The chief of,staff of the Indian Eastern
Command told the press this morning that the Indian
Army had just taken Feri, thus cutting rail and
road connections between Dacca and Chittagong. He
said that heavy fighting was under way in the Hilli
area and that Com.11a was virtually encircled. He
added that the army is still proceeding toward
Jessore and that the towns of Kalora and Latu in
Sylhet District had been captured. The Eastern.
Command was generally satisfied v-ith the progress
of the war. 'According to this oificer,.the Pak-
istanis were fighting fiercely probably because
they had no escape routes. He noted tr.at a number
of captured troops had indicated that the Pakistan
Army was being told to "hang on"--the implication
being that fighting was going so well n the west
that fresh troops could be released and sent to
the east.
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;7. A US newsman reported that during a trip
to Darsana he found the 'population ecstatic in
we":coming the Indian Army and the news correspon-
dents.- He was told that the Indian strategy was
to bypass and cut off Jessore, hoping for ' large- .
scale surrenders. The correspondent saw massive
convoys moving up pontoon and prefabricated bridges.
He said that'the few Mukti Bahini he, saw felt left
out of the 'action.
' 'IA 1101,a- -
8. According to US officials in Dew Delhi, .
the capital has been under. complete blackout from
dusk to dawn since 3'December. Several air raid
alerts have sounded, but so far there has been no
raid. No curfew has been announced, and private
cars are moving at their own (and considerable)
risk. Vigilante-type crowds have been roaming the
streets at night, stoning cars and threatening
drivers who travel even'with 'lights shielded. The'
crowds do not seem to be particularly anti-American,
but anti-American' sentiments are getting increasing
play in the press, and. one newspaper carries a
story accusing "some" US Embassy officials of
violating blackout rules. Another refers to dip-
lomatic missions "friendly to Pakistan" having
tended to ignore the blackout.
9. Press items out of India this morning
report that Bombay came under attack just after.
nightfall on-6-December. Anti-aircraft guns report-
edly opened fire as the planes approached.
'O.: ;the' 'Diplohiati'c 'Front-
10.. The: UN Security Council will reconvene
this afternoon at 1530 EST. Reports this morning
from New York indicate that a simple :ease-fire'
resolution will be offered to the Council by Italy.
The Soviets have not had to respond to such 'a text
in the voting so far, but both their private and
public remarks imply that another. veto is likely.
There is much 'corridor talk to the effect that the
matter should now be referred to the General
Assembly. Assembly activity would necessarily pre-
eimpt the Middle East debate,' and any resolution
adopted there would be merely a recommendation.
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11. In the meantime, Bangla Desh "repre-
sentatives" at the' UN have lost little time 'in
hailing the "pro-people" role played by the Soviet
Union since the crisis began last March and in
criticizing Washington as the "shameless abettor
of genocide unparalleled in, the World's history."
Although less harsh language was used to describe
Peking's actions in the crisis,, the Chinese came
in for their share of the blame for supporting the
"Islamabad military machine to suppress brutally
the people's struggle."
12.. Although Islamabad broke relations with
New Delhi following the latter'-s recognition of
Bangla Desh'today', press reports from the Indian
capital say that India has not broken relations
with Pakistan.
13.' Peking has stepped up.its condemnation
of India, charging "naked aggression" against Pak-
istan and stating that Soviet instigation and
support of India are the main reasons for the tense
situation in the's ubcontinent. An article by
"Commentator" in the People',s' Daily of 6 December
repeated Chinese accusations made four days earlier
that India is pursuing an expansionist policy aimed
at annexing East Pakistan. The author drew a
parallel between' the creation of Bangla Desh 'and
the Japanese creation of the puppet state. of
Manchukuo in the 1930s. The article also repeated
earlier parallels drawn by the 'Chinese between
alleged Indian creation of a Tibetan refugee prob-
lem*and India's handling of the refugees from East
Pakistan.
14.. Commentator launched the strongest Chinese
charges yet against the 'USSR, Accusing Moscow of
forcing Pakistan to submit to the Indians -in order
to expand the Soviet sphere of influence in the sub-
continent. The article also' repeated an earlier
charge that the Indo-Soviet treaty of, last August
was'a "military alliance in essence." Commentator,
however, did not go beyond previous expressions of
Chinese support for Pakistan and repeated Peking's
call for a negotiated settlement.
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15. Chinese media appear to be preparing their
readers for an eventual Pakistani. defeat.. In con-
trast to earlier treatment, Peking's accounts of
the fighting in the last three days have'projected
a totally gloomy, picture by omitting any reports
of Pakistani military successes.
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