Evening star., 1953-08-16
Conversation on Koshmir

1t is an unhappy commentary that on the
sixth anniversary Of the termination OF British
sovereignty in India and the partition of that
land into the two independent states OF India
and Pakistan these two countries should still
be in bitter dispute over the future of Kashn1ir.
Indeed, the events of the past fortnight the
custer and arrest by or with the blessing OF
Indian authorities of Moslem Prime Minister
Abdullah, his replacement by pro-Indian Bakshi
Ghulam, and the street fighting in which
Indian troops have fired on pro-Pakistan
demonStratorS-give d1sturblngly omlnous
color to the tragic picture.
So it is that the decision of Mohammed Ali,
recently named Prime Minister of Pakistan, to
go to New Delhi this week end for direct con-
versations with Prime Minister Nehru takes on
significance of urgency and Importance Mr..
ALI who was serving as Pakistan's Ambassador
in Washington when called upon to take over
the top post in his government, already has
demonstrated that he is an energetic and i'm
aginative leader The strength of Mr.. Nehrus
convictions on many issues, and his dogged
adherence to them, have been displayed often
in the past. These are strong men in their
respective roles of leadership IN South Asia
and they are dealing here with an issue that
not only has aroused great emotions but which
has represented constant threat OF open war
Persuasive arguments can be and have
been made by each side as to whether India
or Pakistan should have control of this rich
and mountainous state. IndiaS dominant in
fuence dates back to the first months of part1-
tion when the Hindu prince whose family had
ruled the territory since the 10th century threw
his weight toward affiliation with the New Delhi
government, despite the predominantly Moslem
population of Kashmir. The fighting which
broke out then lasted until United Nations
commission negotiated cease-f1re agreement,
effective January /, 1949. Subsequent U. N. et-
forts to mediate the controversy have centered
principally on recommendations for plebi-
scite to allow the Kashmiri to choose for them
selves their political future. Pakistan has
approved variations of this proposal with fewer
reservations than has India but the practical
result has been nothing more than an armed
and uneasy truce. This was broken most re-
Gently when Prime Minister Abdullah, previously
inclined toward afiliation with India, an
nounced his support for a plebiscite and sug-
gested that independence from both countries
might be the favored solution for his state.
His custer and arrest, with the Indian military
and police exercising martial control, followed.
Mr.. Ali and Mr.. Nehru met only few weeks
ago to discuss many of the mutual problems OF
their countries The results then were con-
structive and encouraged hopes that new
period of harmony and cooperation was close
at hand. Seemingly, Mr.. Ali feels that he can
build upon that earlier adventure in face-to-
face diplomacy to seek an answer to this basic
and most explosive ISSUE These hopes should
be shared, not only in the two countries i'm
mediately affected but throughout the free
world, and heavy responsibility lies with the
two Prime Ministers to display their finest
craftsmanship on this occasion.