21081957 . Letter dated 21 August 1957 from the representative of India Arthur S. Lall to the President of the Security Council
Letter dated 21 August 1957 from the representative of India Arthur S. Lall to the President of the Security Council
1. Under instructions from my Government, I have the honour to bring to Your Excellency's notice and through you to the notice of the members of the Security Council the following report regarding the commencement of execution of the Mangla Dam Project by the Government of Pakistan which appeared in the Karachi newspaper Dawn on 26 June, 1957.
"Rawalpindi, June 25: The Azad Kashmir Government have issued necessary notification to acquire land in Mirpur District for the Mangla Dam Project.
"The Project, which will involve and expenditure of 1,000 million rupees, will cover an area of 100 square miles. "About 122 villages in Azad Kashmir territory will be affected with a total area of about 42,000 acres.
"Out of this nearly 22,000 acres are at present under cultivation. The rest is barren and those who will be affected by the construction of the dam will be adequately compensated with cash payment or canal irrigated land-Radio Pakistan,"
The details of the project are given in the attached note.
2. The execution of this Dam project is a further instance of consolidation by the Government of Pakistan of its authority over the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which it continues to occupy by force, and of the exploitation the resources of the territory to the disadvantage of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and for the benefit of the people of Pakistan.
3. My Government has asked me to invite your attention and through you the attention of the members of the Council to this further instance of violation by the Government of Pakistan of the Security Council resolution of 17 January 1941 which calls upon both the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan "to refrain from making any statements and from doing or causing to be done or permitting any acts which might aggravate the situation".
4. The members of the Security Council are aware of the categorical assurances given to the Prime Minister of India by the Chairman of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan that the Pakistan Government will not be allowed to consolidate its position in the territory it had unlawfully occupied, of part II, section A, paragraph 1 of the Commission's resolution of 13 August 1948 [S/1100, para. 75], under which Pakistan troops are required to vacate the territory. unlawfully occupied by them and of the recognition of the Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir as the only. lawful Government of the State underlying the Commission's resolutions of 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949 [S/1196, papa. 15]. The commencement of the execution of the Mangal Dam Project by the Government of Pakistan violates not only the provisions of the Security Council Resolution of 17 January 1948 but also the assurances given to the Prime Minister of India by the Chairman of the Commission for India and Pakistan and the provisions of the two resolutions adopted by the Commission.
5. I request that this communication may kindly be circulated as a Security Council document and be brought to the notice of the members of the Council.
(Signed) Arthur S. LALL Ambassador Extraordianry and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
THE MANGLA DAM PROJECT
1. The Upper Jhelum Canal takes off from the river Jhelum at Mangla and irrigates areas in the West Punjab. The Mangla Headworks and the first nineteen miles of the Upper Jhelum Canal lie in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The land required for the Upper Jhelum Canal and the Headworks was given by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to the Punjab Government in 1904, free of cost, but on condition that it shall always remain the property of the Darbar".
2. The details of the Mangla Dam Project given by Chaudhury Abdul Hamid, Superintending Engineer. Mangla Dam Circle, in September last were published in the Pakistan Times, Labore, oh September 17, 1956, and according to these "the dam will be located across the Jhelum river, about two miles upstream of the Upper Jhelum Canal regulator". The location of the Dam is thus in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
3. The report gave the following further particulars of the project:
"The main structure will be an earth embankment almost two miles long at the crest, the elevation of which is 1,200 feet above the sea level. Its height at the deepest section from rock to crest will be about 360 feet. The reservoir so created will have an effective capacity of 3.5 million acre feet.
"The Dam will be flanked by a power plant on the left and a spillway structure on the right. The power house will have and installed capacity of 300,000 k.w. (four sets of 75,000 k. w. each), the power head varying between 180 to 315 feet. The tail race will outfall into the Upper Jhelum Canal.
(Signed) Dag HAMMARSKJOLD Secretary-General of the United Nations
(UN Document no. 3869)