LAHORE: The United Nations had only been trying to give practical shape to something which the Indian Prime Minister had himself proposed in his telegram to Mr Liaquat Ali Khan early in November 1947 wherein, it was stated, that once law and order was restored the Indian troops would be withdrawn from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and that the question of the state’s accession to India or Pakistan would be decided on the basis of a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the UN.

This statement was made … here today [Sept 5] by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister … Zafrullah Khan, when his attention was dra­wn to Mr Jawaharlal Nehru’s reported declaration in his speech at Allahabad yesterday that “Pakistan’s argument that Kashmir had a preponderance of Muslims and they wished to be included in Pakistan seemed to influence the UN who thought that 80 per cent of the Muslims in Kashmir possibly wished to join the country.” — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Belgrade,] the USA may shortly give Yu­­­­goslavia a 25 million dollars loan to help her face the Cominform economic blockade. … It will be given by the Import and Export Bank of America, founded to promote US trade.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2024