Delhi, Oct 27
India’s main ally, the Soviet Union, became a formal party to the crisis brewing on the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent today. A crucial clause of the recent Indo-soviet treaty was invoked before Mr N.P. Firyubin, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, left Delhi for Moscow this morning.

The clause oblighes both India and the Soviet Union to come to each other’s assistance in the event of a threat by a third country. Within hours of the announcement it was reliably learnt that Air Marshal Pavel Katukhov, the commander in Chief of the Soviet Air Force, will visit India later this year.

According to a joint statement today on four days of consultations between Mr Firyubin and the Indian Government, the discussions “took place in accordance with the existing practice of annual bilateral consultations and also under Article Nine of the Indo-Soviet treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation”. Significantly the statement goes on to declare that consultations were held “in connexion with the present tense situation in the Indian subcontinent which threatens the cause of peace in this region

Under the clause of the Indo-Soviet treaty that became operative today both countries are obliged to come to each other's assistance if one of the contracting parties is threatened by aggression.

The ambiguous clause, which is open to interpretation, reads: “Each high contracting party undertake to abstain from providing any assistance to any party that engages in armed conflict with the other party. In the event of either party being subjected to an armed attack or a threat thereof the high contracting parties shall immediately enter into mutual consultations in order to remove such threats and to take appropriate and effective measures to ensure pence and security in their countries.”

This means that the Russians are now obliged to come to India’s assistance if war with Pakistan breaks out; but the treaty is couched in such ambiguous terms that Russian support could take the form of an increase in military aid, diplomatic activity or a more substantial show of solidarity should Pakistan's chief ally, China, become involved.

Equally important as the treaty itself, the joint statement also declares that the Russians fully agree with India that Pakistan is about to launch a war of aggression on the subcontinent. Elaborating, a spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry said that both the Indian and Russian delegates had agreed that the situation was “very serious and grave”.

Vienna, Oct 27.—Mrs Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, said here today that only a political settlement acceptable to the people of East Bengal could solve the crisis between India and Pakistan, which she described as “extremely dangerous”.

Mrs Gandhi, who arrived here yesterday from Brussels on the second leg of a six-nation tour of Western capitals, said the present situation posed a threat to India’s security. “We are doing everything to prevent the conflict escalating” she said, “but we must think about our own security.”

Of India's friendship treaty with the Soviet Union she said that this in no way conflicted with the country's traditional policy of non-alignment, which continued as before.

The treaty represented an independent evaluation of the present situation and corresponding actions in the interest of her own country. -Reuter.