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Qualified Support. The same day that the arms halt was announced in Washington, a high-level Pakistani delegation returned home from Peking. Headed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, former Foreign Minister and now leader of the Pakistan People's Party, the mission met with Premier Chou En-lai and other Chinese dignitaries in what was viewed as a move to counter India's recently signed friendship treaty with Moscow. The Pakistanis received qualified support. While Peking vaguely pledged help "should Pakistan be subjected to foreign aggression." it also urged the Pakistanis to seek "a reasonable settlement" in East Pakistan. The Chinese are believed to want no part of a war that could draw in the Soviet Union, and they want to leave their options open in the event that the popular movement in the East is successful.
In Europe, meanwhile, in the last days of her three-week journey to rally sympathy for India, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi conferred with French President Georges Pompidou and West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. In Paris she was assured that there would be no new arms shipments to Pakistan; in Bonn she picked up a pledge of $15 million more in refugee relief, which brings the West German government's contribution to $23 million.
Back home, Indian officials pointed out that Mrs. Gandhi had not gone to the West "hat in hand but to do some plain speaking." She did indeed win a wide display of public sympathy for India's enormous refugee burden, but it was believed that she had also hoped for more tangible support to stave off the hard-liners in her party who argue that a war with Pakistan would be cheaper than continuing to care for the refugees. As the French daily Le Monde commented: "Unfortunately, it is not certain that she will be able to come back from her trip with decisive cards."