08111947 Text of Telegram dated November 8,1947 from the Prime Minister of India to the Prime Minister of Pakistan ?
08111947 Text of Telegram dated November 8,1947 from the Prime Minister of India to the Prime Minister of Pakistan ?
"Your telegram No. 384-G dated the 6th November about Kashmir was received to-day.
2.I regret that I hope to disagree completely with your account of what has happened or is happening in Jammu and Kashmir State. We have received and are receiving full information from our own representatives in both Jammu and Srinagar and this convinces us that your information is wholly wrong.
3.I also regret the tone and the content of your broadcast of the 4th November regarding Kashmir which indicated no desire to find a method or the settlement. It was merely an indictment which has no relation to the fact.
4.In the last paragraph of your telegram you say that Lord Mountbatten promised to let you know the views of the Indian Government on the proposals discussed between the two Governors-General but that you have heard no more about them. On this point there seems to have been a misunderstanding. Lord Mountbatten, on his return from Lahore, gave me full account of his talk with Mr. Jinnah and in particular of the two important suggestions which had been discussed, namely:
- the withdrawal of Indian Dominion troops and men from Kashmir and,
(ii) Holding of a plebiscite at the earliest possible date.
As regards the first proposal, Lord Mountbatten told me that Mr. Jinnah desired that withdrawal of the Indian Dominion troops and tribesmen should be made simultaneously but that
he (Lord Mountbatten) had pointed out that it was clearly impossible for the Indian troops to withdraw from Kashmir valley until the raiders had left Kashmir soil and law and order had been restored in Kashmir.
Lord Mountbatten had also made it quite clear to Mr. Jinnah that the Government of India had no desire to retain troops in Kashmir for a moment longer than was necessary. As regards the second point, Lord Mountbatten reported that Mr. Jinnah had expressed the view that there was no hope of a fair plebiscite under the present Kashmir authorities. To meet this point Lord Mountbatten had suggested that it should be conducted under the auspices of U.N.O. Mr. Jinnah had put forward the counter-proposal that two Governors-General should be given plenary powers to settle the matter. Lord Mountbatten had pointed out that it would be constitutionally improper for him to undertake this duty.
5.On the very day that I had this talk with Lord Mountbatten I made a broadcast in which the views of the Government of India on both these proposals were stated plainly and I followed it up with a telegram to you indicating that they might form the basis of discussion at our next talk. It is thus clear beyond any shadow of doubt that we did, in fact, put forward definite proposals as a basis for discussion between us as soon as possible after Lord* Mountbatten's return from Lahore.
6.I would have been glad to explain to you personally at the meeting that had been arranged for tomorrow, the proposals we had put forward and the reasons for our inability to accept the proposals made to Lord Mountbatten by Mr. Jinnah. But since unfortunately you are unable to come, I must let you- have my views to uphold them. They are as follows:
7. As regards your proposals one and two, a number of well armed raiders have entered Kashmir to the accompaniment of massacre, arson and loot. Our troops have been sent there to drive out these raiders and protect Kashmir. So long as these raiders remain there, and law and order have not been established, our troops must discharge their duty. Afterwards the^ will be withdrawn, as I have already undertaken.
8.The raiders are either under your control or they are not. If they are under your control you should withdraw them and, in any event, shop them coming through Pakistan territory
into Kashmir. If they are not under your control and you can do nothing to stop them, then, surely, we are entitled to deal with them as we think best.
9.As regards proposal number three in your telegram of November 6th, we entirely endorse Lord-Mountbatten's view (vide Paragraph No. 7 above).
10.It will thus be seen that our proposals which we repeatedly stated are: (I) that Government of Pakistan should publicly undertake to do their utmost to compel the raiders to withdraw from Kashmir; (2) that Government of India should repeat their declaration that they will withdraw their troops from Kashmir soil as soon as raiders have withdrawn and law and order are restored; (3) that Governments of India and Pakistan should make a joint request to U.N.O. to undertake a plebiscite in Kashmir at the earliest possible date.
11.The above conclusions relate only to Kashmir, but it is essential, in order to restore good relations between the two Dominions, that there should be acceptance of the principle that,
Where the Ruler of a State does not belong to the community to which the majority of his subjects belong, and where the State has not acceded to that Dominion whose majority community is same as State's, the question whether State has finally acceded to one or other Dominion should be ascertained by reference to the will of people.
12.The Major-General commanding our forces in Jammu and Kashmir has been given the most explicit orders to do everything in his power to ensure that no victimisation of any
community is permitted."