Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V, Part 1

501.BC/1–1948: Telegram

The United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin) to the Secretary of State

secret

New York, January 19, 1948—11:52 p. m.

66. At 9:15 this morning, at their request, Sir Zafrullah Khan, Ambassador Ispahani, and their counsel, whose name I do not remember, came to my office and said in substance:

The pending negotiations under the guidance of President Van Langenhove, between India and Pakistan, encounter difficulties over

(1) The time when military and political issues will be agreed on; that is, whether now or at separate times.

Pakistan’s position is that the principles of both security and political settlement should be agreed upon now, concurrently.

India claims that the principles of security should be agreed upon mow, and the political issues later, under the good offices of a United Nations Commission.

(2) The kind of interim government.

Pakistan stands for an impartial head of the government, and is opposed to Sheik Abdullah.

India stands for Sheik Abdullah.

On the first point, Sir Zafrullah claims that the security of Kashmir and Jammu ought to be guaranteed by an agreement that all armed forces withdraw from Kashmir and Jammu. This includes Indian forces. This is subject, however, to a proviso that enough joint forces of both India and Pakistan be permitted to garrison Kashmir and Jammu to insure the withdrawal of the tribesmen, and to maintain peace and order.

Pakistan claims that if the principles should be agreed upon now for the political settlement, the tribesmen would accept the assurance of India and Pakistan that it is safe for them to withdraw, and that an impartial interim government would provide a fair and uncoerced method of holding a plebiscite to permanently decide such questions as the accession to either India or Pakistan, and the form of government that would give relative liberty to the population of Kashmir and Jammu.

Other areas are involved in the political issue. Pakistan claims they should be considered also.¹ India claims that only the area of Kashmir and Jammu should be considered now.

They left here to go to a meeting being held by President Van Langenhove, to continue the negotiations.

Austin

1. On January 15, Zafrullah Khan submitted to the Security Council three documents (S/646) which, in addition to covering the Kashmir question, called attention to India’s alleged mass destruction of Muslims and military occupation of Junagadh and other states. On January 20 he addressed a letter to the President of the Security Council requesting that the Council extend its consideration of the Kashmir question to include these related matters. The request resulted in a decision at the 231st meeting of the Council on January 22 to change the agenda designation of the dispute from the “Jammu and Kashmir question” to the “India-Pakistan question.” For text of the January 15 documents, see SC, 3rd yr., Suppl. for Nov. 1948, pp. 67–87. The letter of January 20 is printed in SC, 3rd yr., Nos. 1–15, p. 145, in context of the record of the 231st meeting.