Bangladesh guerrillas, armed with weapons from Czechoslovakia and China, are planning a new offensive against the West Pakistan Army. Reports reaching London suggest that harassing tactics will be stepped up in the next two months.

Thousands of recruits to the Liberation Army are in training and the guerrillas hope to smuggle more consignments of arms into East Pakistan, supplied by undercover arms dealers. Many of the light weapons now being used by the guerrillas originated in Czechoslovakia, but some Chinese weapons have been brought into the country from the Naga area of India, where China has trained an underground Army to fight against Indian rule. China’s policy in the Pakistan conflict has been moral and material support for President Yahya Khan’s Government and the unofficial supplies to Bangladesh from Naga sympathizers may embarrass Peking.

BRITISH GUNS

The Bangladesh guerrillas are also using British-made guns taken from Pakistan Army stocks and are equipped with light machine guns and mortars, mines and hand grenades, supplemented by home-made explosives. They have three light helicopters, which are not yet in use and a field gun, but are reported to be without heavy equipment. So far, they have been concentrating on cutting Army supply lines and have blown up railway goods wagons and Army vehicles on country roads. The guerrillas claim control in many country districts and provincial centres. They have imposed their own curfew in several towns.

Now, new attacks in the Dacca area are feared by the West Pakistan Army. Defences have been tighten round Dacca airport. Some Bangladesh supporters estimate that the Liberation Army could call on more than 100,000 men, but say that the Pakistan Army has continued to bring in troops and reinforcements from West Pakistan and is well prepared for fresh attacks.