SIR ALEC DOUGLAS-HOME, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Kinross and West Perth, C), made a statement about the flow of Pakistan refugees into India and the cholera epidemic. He said the number of refugees was now estimated at upwards of four million.

To the first appeal for money issued by U Thant her Majesty's Government subscribed £1m on the following day, the money to be used for that relief which seemed to those on the spot to be most urgent. In addition, they had pledged £750,000 worth of food. Of the contributions made in the two weeks following the appeal, her Majesty's Government's represented 30-40 percent of the total.

We have also promised (he continued) to give more when we are told by those working on the spot what assistance is most urgently required. We made this immediate grant to ensure that the United Nations would not be short of funds and that essential needs would be met while the necessary international organization was being set up to coordinate relief.

After outlining some of the steps taken by the Government and British charities, he said: There are three problems which are inter-related. First that of the refugees. To halt the flow and to arrange their return to Pakistan requires the restoration of confidence in East Pakistan which in turn depends upon a political settlement. Secondly, there is the ability of the Pakistan economy to sustain life throughout the whole country. No new aid is being supplied, but to stop development schemes already under way would throw thousands out of work and simply add new areas of misery to an already heart-rending situation.
There is finally the possibility of widespread starvation later in the year in East Pakistan by reason of the disruption of communications and of a shortfall in the rice harvest.

Plans must be made by the Pakistan Government in cooperation with the United Nations coordinator urgently to anticipate their needs.

MRS JUDITH HART (Lanark, Lab) — Given the sheer scale of the suffering and need, will the Foreign Secretary not consider giving substantially more now to assist the relief operation both to U Thant's United Nations fund and directly to India, as nearly up to £2m, even with the promise of more to come, is not a sufficient immediate measure of the present British concern about the problem?

As to the future aid programme to Pakistan, will he confirm that at the forthcoming meeting of the Pakistan aid consortium, against the background of the extremely serious foreign exchange and economic crisis in Pakistan, that the Government will regard, as they have said, a peaceful
settlement as essential for any resumed or future aid programme?

Given that the effects of this conflict, which began within Pakistan, have now extended beyond the borders of Pakistan and constitute a real threat to international peace and security in Asia, will he agree that the matter can no longer be regarded as one of purely internal concern within Pakistan and consider raising it as a matter of urgency within the Security Council or within some other suitable international body ? (Labour cheers.)

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME — As to the question of more money now, we will certainly consider whether we should do this. We have had no direct request from the Indian Government, but there is a meeting of the Indian consortium on June 17. I would rather wait to see if there is a request, as we anticipated, at that time.

The Pakistan consortium on aid is to meet before long and all the members have made it clear to the Pakistan Government that there must be a proper political framework into which to inject aid.

On this matter being an internal matter for Pakistan and India, and raising it with the Security Council, that must be a matter for Pakistan or for India. Neither of them propose taking such action at present.

MR HAROLD WILSON (Huyton, Lab) — The whole House and all our constituents regard this in terms of the scale as the worst human tragedy the world has known since the war, apart from war itself. While not wishing to approach this matter in any censorious way, there is some feeling in the country that there seems to have been some lack of urgency about this matter. (Conservative protests.)

There has been too much concern with "protocolaire" rather than with the question of getting on with the aid.

It is now several weeks since the Prime Minister asked me not to press him on a matter of urgent importance on this. The House has had no report from him on that question. Now the Foreign Secretary is talking, on an important aspect of this, of waiting until June 17.

This in one of the most urgent human problems the House has had to face. We should all be guilty of a lack of urgency if we cannot arrange to debate the matter tomorrow.

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME — This is one of the most terrible tragedies we have suffered for many a day; nobody has ever sought to disguise that. Perhaps when Mr Wilson talks about urgency he did not hear what said. I said that 40 per cent of the help given came from the United Kingdom. (Conservative cheers.)

With regard to June 17, Mrs Hart asked me about the request from India. That, I understand, is the date on which the request is likely to be made. If between now and then anything extra is asked for we will supply it.

I hope Mr Wilson, instead of concentrating on criticism of this country, which I do not think is justified, would use his influence to help other people to subscribe to this international aid.

MR BOYD-CARPENTER (Kingston upon Thames. C)—Can the Foreign Secretary, either through the Pakistan Government or our deputy high commissioner at Dacca, ascertain the factors, causing an immense number of human beings to flee from their homes to a foreign country, and whether those factors continue and cannot be reversed. (Cheers.)

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME -The overriding influence on these people is fear. They have fled because they felt the Pakistan army was using measures to repress the population which were intolerable to them and they have therefore fled over the Indian frontier.

The only way to get the refugees back is for a political settlement to be contrived to give them the necessary confidence to return to their homes.

I have seen the Pakistan High Commissioner frequently and we have impressed on the President the need for such a settlement. He says that it is his intention to contrive this when he can.

SIR HARRY LEGGEBOURKE (Isle of Ely, C) – The prompt action of the Government and a measure of what they have done will well express the feelings of the whole country on this matter but will he give particular consideration to the problem which seems to be arising in the acutest possible form—the need to prevent refugees getting into Calcutta and prevention may have to take priority over cure of cholera. Will he give the fullest consideration to any request from the Indian Government to bring about Commonwealth cooperation to provide strength on the ground to prevent refugees getting Into Calcutta?

SIR A. DOUGLAS-HOME - The Indian Government feel they have the matter under control. However, if they want help, they have only to ask for it.

MR ALFRED MORRIS (Manchester, Wythenshawe, Lab) asked the Foreign Secretary if he recalled saying in November that he would act with urgency on a proposal for establishing a disaster stockpile.

SIR A DOUGLAS-HOME - l hope he will not accuse me of dragging my feet, as I think he did yesterday. I wrote to the Secretary General of the United Nations. He set up machinery to examine the possibility of a permanent body to anticipate and to try to use preventive action so that he could anticipate the worst dangers in advance of such tragedies. The report is coming out in a month's time. If that report can be expedited I will ask him to do so.

MR WHITELAW, Lord President of the Council (Penrith and the Border, C), said later that it was now proposed that tomorrow a debate on the situation in Pakistan should continue until about 8 pm. The debate on overseas aid should then start and continue until 11 pm.