NEW DELHI, Nov. 18 (AP) —Prime Minister Indira Gandhi has turned down U Thant's proposal that he help relieve tensions between India and Pakistan. She urged him to concentrate instead on ending the civil war in East Pakistan.

In a 1,000‐Word letter sent to the United Nations Secretary General on Tuesday and presented in Parliament today, Mrs. Gandhi accused the international community of trying to save the military regime of President Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan of Pakistan.

“The root of the problem is the fate of the 75 million people of East Bengal and their inalienable rights,” Mrs. Gandhi wrote in response to identical letters Mr. Thant sent to her and President Yahya Khan on Oct. 20.

“This is what must be kept in mind instead of the present attempt to save the military regime. To sidetrack this main problem and to convert it into an Indo‐Pakistan dispute can only aggravate tensions.”

Justifying India's massing of troops along her borders, Mrs.1Gandhi charged that “Pakistan is seriously preparing to launch a large‐scale armed conflict with India and we have there fore to take all necessary defense measures.”
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“I should like to assure you,” she added, “that we have no desire to provoke an armed conflict with Pakistan. Such measures as we have taken are entirely defensive.”

Urges Political Settlement

In his letter, Mr. Thant had expressed anxiety about developments en the subcontinent and offered his good offices to help in “avoiding any development which might lead to disaster.”

Mrs. Gandhi called on Mr. Thant to work for a political settlement in East Pakistan, where the Pakistani Army has been trying to crush the Bengali independence movement for eight months.

“Whatever efforts you can make to bring about a political settlement in East Bengal which meets the declared wishes of the people there will be welcome, and if you are prepared to view the problem in perspective, you will have our sup port in your initiatives,” she wrote.

Mrs. Gandhi said a first step toward achieving a peaceful solution would be the release of Sheik Mujibur Rahman, the leader of East Pakistan's biggest political party who is under arrest in West Pakistan.

Parliament was told by Rehabilitation Minister R. K. Khadilkar that there were 9,741,943 East Pakistani refugees in the country, and that 6,164,320 had been given shelter in relief camps.

Mr. Khadilkar said an aver age of 15,600 refugees were still crossing to India each day during the first week of November, the last period for which statistics were available.

Also today, President V. V. Giri said that Pakistan had adopted a war posture by mobilizing along India's border with East Pakistan and declared: “We are reaching the end of our patience.”

In a radio.‐speech from Calcutta, he said India was fully prepared to meet any threat, adding: “Our valiant defense forces are in battle readiness and will give a crushing reply to any aggressor who dares violate our sovereignty.”