DACCA, Pakistan, March 18 —The leader of East Pakistan, Sheik Mujibur Rahman, today rejected as meaningless a West Pakistani “concession,” as West Pakistan increased its military build‐up in the East and the crisis between Pakistan's two sections hardened.
No further talks were held to day between Sheik Mujib and Pakistan's President, Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan. They had met inconclusively Tuesday and yesterday. Another meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow.
The outcome of their confrontations will determine whether East Pakistan—which has been dominated by the West since the Moslem nation was created in 1947 — will retain some limited links with the West under a loose structure or will break away completely and be come a separate nation. A move toward nationhood could meet with intervention by the Pakistani armed forces, whose West Pakistani generals do not want to lose their hold on the East. The two sections are separated by 1,000 miles of Indian territory.
Inquiry Into Killings
Last night the central Government's martial‐law administration here announced what was termed an investigation into killings by soldiers of East Pakistani civilians who protested in the streets when President Yahya, on March 1, postponed the March 3 session of the National Assembly, in which the East Pakistanis have a majority.
Such an inquiry was the least important of several concessions that Sheik Mujib has said must be given before he would consider attending the Assembly session, now rescheduled for March 25.
Sheik Mujib, in a statement, dismissed the inquiry as “a mere device to mislead the people.” He called on all East Pakistanis not to cooperate with the inquiry “in any respect,”
The East Pakistani leader, in his statement, indicated that even if the terms of the inquiry had been satisfactory, “piece meal acceptance” of his demands was not.
Build‐Up Intensified
The West Pakistani military build‐up in East Pakistan was intensified on several fronts. The sending of troops from the West on commercial flights, which had been suspended for about a week, was resumed.
Passengers on a Pakistan International Airways flight from Karachi to Dacca reported that at least 100 of the 160 seats were occupied by army men, most of them in civilian clothes
On Sheik Mujib's orders, most East Pakistanis have been refusing to sell or bring supplies to the garrisons—one facet of the Bengalis' noncooperation movement against the central Government. The movement has put Sheik Mujib in virtual control of East Pakistan.
Before the crisis, the central Government had some 25,000 troops in East Pakistan. The number now is estimated at 40,000 to 60,000.
Panicky rumors continue around Dacca. The latest is that the military is planning to bomb the city. Many families have already left Dacca for their home villages in the interior. This has reduced the demand for groceries and the prices of such items as chickens and eggs have dropped. Ricksha fares are also down.
Yet Bengali sources close to the situation stress that while the military build‐up could mean that the army intends to use massive force, it could also mean that President Yahya, realizing he must make concessions, is using a show of force to try to strengthen his bargaining position.