GUWAHATI: A press note of Assam’s directorate of information and public relations issued on July 27, 1965 on then Congress chief minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha ’s clarification of his position on “infiltration and deportation of Pakistanis (of East Pakistan and now Bangladesh )” quotes him saying that 1,80,000 victims of religious persecution had infiltrated into Assam as refugees between 1964 and 1965.

In the press note of more than half a century old of the three-time chief minister (from 1957 to 1970) show that India’s policy to shelter oppressed minorities of Bangladesh has been in existence since Partition.

Chaliha states that even after Partition there was no restriction on the movement of the citizens from one country to the other but Assam’s premier then Gopinath Bordoloi , who became the state’s first chief minister after Independence, wanted to impose restrictions on this free cross-border movement but the then central government (of Jawarharlal Nehru) believed that such step would put the “minorities in East Pakistan” in disadvantage.

“It was only in October 1952 that the system of passport and visa was introduced. Even then, instructions were issued to take a very liberal attitude in the matter of issuing passports and visas. Late Gopinath Bordoloi, who was the premier of Assam at the time of partition of the country felt the necessity of imposing restrictions on the movement of the people from one country to the other. The Government of India, however, felt that as these restrictions were intended to be reciprocal measures, the minorities in East Pakistan were likely to be put to a disadvantage by this measure of restriction. It is on this consideration that the Government of India preferred to follow a liberal policy,” Chaliha had stated.

Chaliha in his statement also had lashed out at Pakistan for seeking to play a “paternal role” over minorities in India.

“It is highly regrettable that the Government of Pakistan has never appreciated our genuine feelings and efforts for safeguarding the interest of the minorities in this country. The paternal role which they seek to assume over the minorities in India is not only presumptuous but is also extremely ridiculous,” Chaliha stated.

He then went on to tell Pakistan how it was oppressing its minorities. “On the contrary, what consideration has been weighing with Pakistan in squeezing out the minorities from their country? Apart from the large numbers of refugees who migrated to India from Pakistan earlier, the influx of nearly 1,80,000 refugees belonging to the different religious groups from East Pakistan to Assam during the period from January 1964 to January 1965 is a clear evidence of the oppressive treatment meted out to the minority communities in Pakistan,” he stated.

“So far as the minorities in the State of Assam are concerned, I can boldly say that they are quite happy and secure. If the Government of Pakistan continues to indulge in mischievous propaganda with a view to undermining the secular policy of the Government of India while deliberately concealing their lapses in providing securities to the minorities, they will be only harming both the countries. I wish the Government of Pakistan could see reasons and refrain from such malicious propaganda,’ he added.

