NEW YORK: Gen. A.M. Yahya khan says that war between his country and India is “imminent” and that the Chinese will supply his army with “all the weapons and ammunition we need”. President Yahya Khan’s remarks appear in an exclusive interview in the current issue of the Newsweek Magazine.

“I have no reason to tell you war (with India) is not imminent because it is. The Indians are already at war, with us, and the only reason there is no general confrontation is because we are not hitting back.” Yahya says that he doesn’t want to escalate the already tense situation but noted that if the Indians escalate with a view to capturing territory and installing a puppet “Bangla Desh” regime, that will be war.

[Meanwhile, according to news agencies in Karachi,] Over 15,000 persons are feared dead in the 100 miles per hour cyclone and 15 foot-high tidal wave that lashed the coastal areas of the Indian state of Orissa on Friday [Oct 29] night. Early reports said bodies were strewn on roads and in paddy fields. According to Indian Government Radio monitored here last night [Nov 1], the death toll had so far been officially put at 5,000 but it may go up because communications have been totally disrupted. — News Agencies

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2021