Bombay, April 13. The Indian Government today maintained its silence on the formation of a provisional Government of Bangladesh and also on the Chinese Prime Minister’s statement supporting General Yahya’s Government. Informed Indian sources feel that there is more bluster than substance in the Chinese Premier’s declaration although Pakistan is understandably playing it up. What Chou-En-Lai has omitted to say is perhaps more important than what he has said. He has refrained from condemning Sheikh Mujib or his independence movement. Nor has he committed Chinese military support in all circumstances.

What the Chinese seem to be doing is to be showing their friendship with Pakistan at a time when Pakistanis are falling foul of Moscow. Chou has drawn a distinction between India’s “gross interference” in Pakistani affairs and “aggression by Indian expansionists.” In other words China is trying to forestall any Indian military intervention on behalf of Bangladesh by offering the kind of threats Peking made in September, 1965. As then India does not take too serious a view of Chinese threats, but it will not lower its guard now any more than it did six years ago.

In the view of some Indian policy makers Pakistan might be misled by Chinese propaganda into trying a diversionary conflict with India in Kashmir much as Nasser was emboldened to take on Israel in 1967. Like Nasser, Yahya might then discover that promised support fails to materialise. India and Pakistan continue to exchange protest notes. India has accused Pakistan of kidnapping three border security guards while Pakistan alleges that Indian personnel were helping Mujib’s men in Pakistan territory. New Delhi has described Pakistani allegations including one that the Indian deputy high commissioner in Dacca is operating an unauthorized transmitter, as baseless and mischievous.