Baltimore Sun

Washington, May 12-Any American economic aid to Pakistan "will leave cash in their hands to pay their French arms bill and to step up arms purchases in the open market," a spokesman for the East Pakistani rebels charged today.

The United States should give not aid, except for relief to be dispensed by international agencies, according to Rahman Sobhan, the Bengali spokesman. Mr. Sobhan, an adviser to the imprisoned Bengali leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said any other aid "would simply prolong the conflict at tremendous cost in direct deaths from military operations as well as deaths from the pending famine."

SEEKS SUPPORT

Mr. Sobhan, who fled East Pakistan in April after fighting began March 25, is in Washington seeking support on Capitol Hill and elsewhere for Bangla Desh, as he and other Bengalis call the independent state they have proclaimed. State Department personnel have been ordered not to see him. In an interview, he challenged the claims of M.M. Ahmed, a senior Pakistan government official now in Washington on an aid seeking mission, that central government control of East Pakistan has permitted the resumption of normal administration.

"The government simply does not have the administrative control over Bangla Desh to run an aid program," he said, contending that in 16 out of 17 administrative districts higher local officials had sided with the independence movement and lesser Officers were still in hiding.

POLITICAL TOOL

He charged that the central government wants to use relief as a political tool and for "coercion" not for humanitarian reasons. It is seeking boats, he said, not because there was any shortage of them in East Pakistan but in order to provide assault landing craft for the Army. He said some of them had already been secured from Turkey-"U.S. supplied, inevitably." And while the Pakistan government is talking about seeking reconciliation and turning over power to a civilian regime, said Mr. Sobhan, this should not be taken seriously. "Murderers of 200,000 people do not know the meaning of good faith," he said.

"OUTRIGHT LIE"

He said Mr. Ahmed is telling officials here that about 70 officials of Sheikh Mujib's Awami League are ready to co-operate with the government, This i9 "an outright lie," he said, adding that only one elected official has thrown in with the central government.

The Dacca University economics professor said if Mr. Ahmed does not get the economic aid and postponement of debt payments he is seeking, continued military options against the Bengalis would become economically unbearable for West Pakistan.

"The major economic demands," he said "are for commodity assistance to keep industry afloat. They are geared to supplies from the West." He said the suggestion that China might meet these needs is raise because "the Chinese are in no position" to supply Western materials.

"The U.S. has to make up its mind." he said, "whether it wants to underwrite a military adventure with no conceivable policy solution at the end of It." He suggested the Government here tell the Pakistan government "If you want to do It, you foot the bill."