GOALUNDO, Pakistan, April 9 (AP) — East Pakistanis were reported fleeing towns along the Padma River today, fearing an advance by West Pakistan Army units trying to crush the two‐week‐old autonomy movement in the East.

Women and children in the ferry port of Goalundo and other towns along the Padma, the local name for the Ganges River, were said to have, started fleeing their homes as soon as word was received that Government troops had occupied the town of Aricha, Just across the river.

The East Pakistanis are said to hold most of the territory west of the Padma‐Ganges, which divides East Pakistan in, half. On the other side the West Pakistani Army is reported to control the main urban centers, including Dacca, 40 miles east of the river.