India planned to intercept US arms shipments for Pak

Several months before the Indo-Pak war broke out, New Delhi came perilously close to launching a military offensive against Pakistan , newly declassified documents say.

On June 22, 1971, the New York Times reported that Pakistani ships loaded with US arms were headed for the Pakistan coast. This, despite a US embargo on arms supplies to both Islamabad and New Delhi . The newsbreak led to an uproar in the US and India. The next few days were packed with high-level diplomatic exchanges, as New Delhi mulled ways to respond to the US action. Most of these are contained in file number WII/109/13/71.

By June 25, reports said a third Pakistani freighter loaded with US military supplies had left New York for Karachi. These reports gave the names of the three ships as the Sunderbans , Padma and Kaukahla. The US had sent the shipments despite announcing in March an arms embargo against Pakistan and India . News of the shipments emerged days after the Pakistani army had unleashed a bloody suppression of civil unrest in East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) and millions of refugees fled to India.

Evidence of India contemplating a possible military action to intercept the ships is buried in the hundreds of pages of communication between the Indian embassy in Washington, the ministry of external affairs and its branches.
On June 26, SP Jagota, Director (Legal and Treaties) of the ministry wrote a four-page note titled: “Interception of Shipment of American Arms to Pakistan— Legal aspects” . This, he says, was generated on the instructions of the then joint secretary (Americas).

Jagota’s view on intercepting the vessels was: The ships are of Pakistani registry, they are carrying armaments for the government of Pakistan and the ships are outside the jurisdiction of the US government . “Unless a foreign government is willing to oblige India and ensure that the shipment is delayed in transit on some trumped-up charges of violation of local regulations by the ship in question” there was no other option but to intercept them.

So “... this leaves only two other courses regarding interception : That India may intercept the ships before they reach Karachi, or impose a blockade on the Bay of Bengal . Either of these actions might involve the use of force and, therefore, would be treated by Pakistan as acts of war. The consequences of aggravation of the situation will have to be kept in view,” Jogata said.

“The only other alternative was the possibility of a ship belonging to the Bangla Desh (sic) government in intercepting the ships in question on the ground of their being a security risk to that government . This is also not feasible now because the government of Bangla Desh (sic) has not been recognized by India ... ”

He went on to say that it may “not be feasible to intercept the Pakistani ships on their way to Pakistani ports, unless the risk of aggravation is accepted.” When the hostilities broke out, it was Pakistan that launched pre-emptive strikes on Indian airfields.

The note says that the government could press the US to terminate the sales on the ground that they are in breach of their law, and strengthen the hands of a military dictator . There was a full date debate in the Lok Sabha on June 28, where members across party lines demanded that PM Indira Gandhi take tough action against the Americans.