Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-27

4Iluld cCOtlOLIllC dlu JLlhI HelpS
them strengthen their army
and threaten us?"
The Indian argument is that
our military assistance to
Pakistan, a member of SEATO
and the Baghdad Pact. has
forced them to divert badly
needed resources to nearly
double their military expendi-
lures and thus indirectly off,
set the benefits of our aid.
They claim that Pakistan is
politically too unstable to be
trusted not to attack.
The Pakistani fear is based
on the widespread belief that
India maintains its much larg-
er army in order to dominate
Moslem Pakistan. AS a group
of Pakistani newspapermen
told me candidly: I'VE are
your allies against communism.
but the reason we need
American weapons is to de-
fend ourselves against India"
This mutual fear and sus-
picion have led to heavy mill
tary expenditures in both of
these two hard-pressed coun-
tries. Two-thirds of the Pakis-
tan national governments rev.
enue now goes for military ex-
penditureS. This is why some
5000 million in United States
aid-moStly grants and not
counting military hardware
has gone largely to the military
establishment rather than eco
nomic growth. And it has deeply
disturbed India.
Hope for Stability Seen
Since the assassination of
Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan
in 1851, PakiStan's problems
have been aggravated by a sue
cession of Intellectual govern
mentS. This led to a bloodleSs
coup last october which set
up a military dictatorship
headed by Gen. Mohammad
Ayub Khan. Although it is
early yet % tell whether the
new regime can carry out all
its plans, I believe there is good
reason for hoping that Pakistan
may at last be on the road to
political stability, economic
progress and eventual domec-
racy.
One reason for optimism is the
personality of Gen. .Ayub him.
self. I found him ah energetic
well-informed man, dedicated
to improving the life of his
people. Ruling under martial
law. one Of his first moves was
to put a stop to the graft and
corruption which had long in
tested Pakistan's bureaucracy.
He is also beginning to carry
out a long talked-of program
to build decent housing for the
100000 refugees now living in
Squalid novels in Karachi.
There is a new public sense of
purpose and respect for govern
ment among Pakistan's So mil
lion people.
Question of Survival
In explaining the events that
led to his seizure of power last
fall. Gen. Ayub told me. 1T
was not a question of dicta-
torShip versus democracy, but
Of survival" So far, he consid-
ers his governments most i'm
portant achievement has been
to institute long delayed land
reforms IN West Pakistan
which will free millions of
farmers from the domination
of feudal landlords and thus
destroy the latter's political
domination.
This will make it possible to
establish a democracy" he said.
I asked him how long it would
take Pakistan to develop demo-
cratic institutions. He said that
within two to two-and-a-half
years he hoped to have a con-
Stitution prepared by a commits
sion to submit for popular rati-
f1cation. He added that it
should be modelled on ours,
rather than the British, with a
president with broad powers
and a fixed term.
But he thought. as do others
in Asia, that election of top
officials by direct popular vote
is unrealistic in young nation