HC Deb 21 April 1971 vol 815 cc405-6W
Mr. Judd

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he will make a statement on Great Britain's aid programme to Pakistan in the light of recent events in East Pakistan.

Mr. Wood

The British aid pledge to Pakistan was £10 million for the year 1970–71, of which £7.5 million has been committed. We have also offered an interest-free loan of £2 million for the East Pakistan Reconstruction Programme for the cyclone-damaged areas and we have provided £500,000 for food aid for East Pakistan.

Aid projects in East Pakistan have been brought to a halt by the present fighting and British technical assistance personnel have had to leave. British suppliers are unable to ship goods provided under loan agreements to East Pakistan, as the port of Chittagong is not functioning normally. Disbursements of aid will inevitably be affected, but it is not our intention to increase our aid to West Pakistan to make up for the shortfall.