U.K. National Archives

1971-03-04

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Excerpt from the Records of the UK Cabinet CAB 128/49/12.

Conclusions of a meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street, S.W.1. on Thursday, 4 March, 1971 at 10:30am

Conclusions of a meeting of the Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street, S.W.1 on Thursday, 4 March, 1971 at 10.30 a.m

Attendees: E Heath; A Douglas-Home; A Barber; Carrington; G Rippon; M Thatcher; Jellicoe; J Prior; Hailsham; W Whitelaw; K Joseph; R Carr; G Campbell; P Walker; J Davies; C Chataway; M Noble; F Pym; F Corfield; M Macmillan; P Rawlinson.

Text: The foreign and Commonwealth Secretary said that the situation in East Pakistan was deteriorating. The local political leader, Sheikh Mujib, was pressing for a degree of autonomy for the East Wing; and he enjoyed widespread public support. President Yahya Khan of Pakistan was not prepared to concede autonomy and was trying to reimpose military rule in East Pakistan. But political sentiment was increasingly opposed to this course; and it was not impossible that the East Wing would secede from the larger West Wing and that, as a result, the State of Pakistan would be fragmented.