NEW DELHI: The Indian External Affairs Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh, while speaking in the Lok Sabha today [April 24] expressed the hope that Pakistan would accept the basic principle that humanitarian issues arising from the 1971 war could be settled together. These should be separated from national questions as already set out in the India-Bangladesh communique, he said.

The External Affairs Minister said it was regrettable that Pakistan should have taken an extreme position in its reply to the IndoBangladesh joint declaration.

He said despite the unsatisfactory features of Pakistan`s statement India did not want to take a completely negative attitude. `We are consulting Bangladesh to evolve a joint approach,` he said. The External Affairs Minister described as totally misplaced the Pakistan Government fear that it is being asked to take over the entire ethnic and linguistic minorities.

The Bangladesh Government had taken elaborate care to ascertain the wishes of the people. Only one-third of the total six lakh have opted to go back. Mr Swaran Singh said at one time Pakistan had been suggesting that it would be reconciled to the trial of one thousand prisoners. Now it is opposing the trial of even 195. News agencies