25101965 Text of the speech made by Mr. Swaran Singh (India) in the Security Council meeting No. 1247 held on 25 October 1965.

25101965 Text of the speech made by Mr. Swaran Singh (India) in the Security Council meeting No. 1247 held on 25 October 1965.

Mr. President, although you have been good enough to recognize me on a point of order, may I take this opportunity, because I am addressing the Council for the first time, to place on record our appreciation of the efforts of the Council and also of the very distinguished and able Secretary-General to bring about a cease-fire and to restore peace in the subcontinent.

In the letter of the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations dated 24 October 1965 [S/6823] The position of the Government of India was made clear with regard to the raising of matters which amount to gross interference in the internal affairs of India. Now the Foreign Minister of Pakistan is raising those matters which refer to the internal situation in the State of Jammu and Kashmir and is mentioning matters which are exclusively within the internal jurisdiction of India. Therefore, these matters are not relevant to our discussions here today.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President made it clear that this meeting of the Council was being convened in order to discuss two matters: first, the deterioration in the cease fire, and secondly, the question of the withdrawal of armed personnel. Even the framework and the scheme of the Security Council resolution clearly indicate that the first stage is that of effecting a cease-fire, and thereafter comes the question of bringing about withdrawals. Therefore, the only relevant question before the Security Council at this stage, and this is also covered in large measure in the report of the Secretary-General, is this question, namely paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 211 (1965). The only point for consideration, therefore, is the position of the cease-fire at the moment, what steps, if any, are required to strengthen it, and what measures should be taken to bring about a withdrawal. The Council thus faced the problem of stabilizing peace and with the problem of effecting disengagement.

Therefore, if at this stage matters are raised which are of a political character and pertain to the exclusive sovereign jurisdiction of India-matters which relate to the maintenance of law and order or any other action that is taken in the exercise of normal sovereignty by India in the State of Jammu and Kashmir-they are not germane to the discussion and they are not relevant.

In view of the ruling that the President has already given that the remarks of the representative of Pakistan were about matters which were extraneous to the two issues which the President enunciated at the beginning of the meeting, I would request the President to call upon the representative of Pakistan not to mention such matters. We are participating in this discussion on the distinct understanding that the only two issues that are being discussed at the moment are, first, the stabilization of the cease-fire and second, what further steps, if any, are to be taken for the withdrawal of troops and the withdrawal of all armed personnel. I shall not go into any detail, but I should like to make our position clear on this issue,