KARACHI: Britain has assured the Govern­ment of Pakistan that she has no intention of taking unilateral action with regard to Pak­istan’s sterling balances, Dr Mahmud Husain told Parliament … on Wednesday [Jan 11].

The Deputy Foreign Minister, was replying to a question … with reference to Mr Clement Attlee’s statement … in October last to the effect that the sterling balances would have “to be cut down as much as possible.”

He said that the current Pakistan-United Kingdom financial agreement was in no way affected, and that the Government … had been assured that “nothing will be done about Pakistan’s sterling balances without full consultation and discussion with the Government of Pakistan.”

[Meanwhile, according to reports from Teh­e­ran,] the Iranian Government resigned today [Jan 11]. The Premier, Mohammed Saeed, in a letter to the Shah stated that the country’s present situation demanded a change of Govern­m­ent. Political circles here expected that either Mohammed Saeed or Guli Gholshaian, Finance Minister in the last Cabinet, would lead the new Government. … Mohammed Saeed took office in November, 1948. …

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2025

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