17071948 Notes on the meeting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan with two members of the Commission (S/AC-12/21) Held at Karachi on Saturday, 17 July 1948, at noon

17071948 Notes on the meeting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan with two members of the Commission (S/AC-12/21) Held at Karachi on Saturday, 17 July 1948, at noon

Present

Government of Pakistan: Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan (Foreign Minister), Mr. Mohammad Ali (Secretary-General). Members of the Commission: Mr. Lozano (Colombia), Mr. Adams (United States of America), Mr. Symonds (Secretariat), Mr. Aghassi (Secretariat).

Mr. Lozano opened the conversation by expressing his pleasure at meeting Sir Mohammed again. He said that the group had been appointed by the Commission and directed by its Chairman to express to the Government of Pakistan the anxiety of the Commission regarding the situation in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The situation appeared according to the latest reports to have deteriorated and, indeed, to have become practically an undeclared war between the two countries. Time was running short, and soon it might become impossible to reach a rapid, complete and final settlement of the problem. The first and most urgent step was to stop the fighting. The Commission, therefore, wished to obtain the views of the Government of Pakistan as to the possibility of an agreement for a cease-fire order. He was sure that Sir Mohammed was well aware of the difficulties facing the Commission, which was most anxious to bring about a rapid and amicable settlement of the dispute between the two countries. He said that his country had also faced serious territorial problems arising as a result of its independence. All of these were solved by peaceful means, the most delicate being that on the Amazon frontier, which had brought it to the verge of a war but which was settled by the League of Nations in 1932. It was all a matter of generosity and good will. Mr. Lozano was certain that the peoples of Pakistan and India were capable of that great wave of generosity needed to bring them together and make peace possible. He said that he was confident that it would be possible to achieve a solution to the Kashmir problem in the near future.

Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan welcomed the return of Mr. Lozano and said that he was at the disposal of the Commission whenever the need arose. With regard to the suggestion for a cease-fire agreement, he said that he would have preferred it in the form of a specific proposal.

Mr. Lozano replied that it was the desire of the Commission to present this suggestion simultaneously to the Governments of Pakistan and India in order to know their views as to the proper manner in which a cease-fire agreement could be promptly brought about, so that the Commission might be in a better position to explore the possibility of narrowing whatever differences might arise between the points of view as presented by them on this pressing issue aad of finding a specific proposal which would be acceptable to both parties,

Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan stated that, as far as general views were concerned, these had been submitted to the Security Council. However, certain developments had taken place since those discussions in the Council, and he would be glad to ascertain the present views of his Government as soon as possible. He understood that the Commission had conveyed a similar expression to the Government of India. It would have been of great help to the Pakistan Government if it had been possible for it to know what the Government of India was prepared to do it. Moreover, he had been hoping that the Commission would have been by now in a position to present certain proposals of its own after having studied the various factors in the situation. However, he quite understood that the Commission might not yet be ready to formulate such proposals, and so it evolved upon him at the moment to ascertain the views of his Government as to the steps to be taken for a cease-fire agreement.

Mr. Adams emphasized that it had been the intention of the Commission, in dispatching this group to Karachi, that the two Governments would thus be able concurrently to formulate their views on the possibility of a cease-fire agreement.

Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan stated that he wanted to be sure that he had not misinterpreted the suggestions of the Commission to both Governments, and that both Governments had been told the same thing. He presumed that the Commission would then consider the views of both Governments as to what steps were feasible to take toward a cease-fire agreement.

Mr. Lozano suggested that, if Sir Mohammed wished, they could discuss the question privately and informally.

Mr. Adams said that the Commission wished the Government of Pakistan to know that political and military representatives of the Government of India had appeared before the Commission to present their assessment of the present situation in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan said that he had seen Press reports to that effect.

Mr. Lozano said that this was a preliminary discussion which was concerned with ascertaining the views of the Pakistan Government with regard to the suggestion for a cease-fire agreement.

Sir Mohammed Zafrullah Khan said that after consultation with his Government, he would inform the group as to when he would be prepared to discuss the question. The meeting closed at 12.45 p.m.