The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 189
173 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN states, to settle our orientation towards international problems and our policies in the United Nations. In the United Nations, we were at the very beginning of our membership confronted with the problem of Palestine. Pakistan took up with great vigour the advocacy of the Arab cause. Later on, all questions of self-determination and independence, the question of Tunisia, the question of Morocco, the question of the ex-Italian colonies which resulted in the independence of Libya and trusteeship for Somalia, Pakistan took a leading part. So that though we were later- comers in the United Nations - we were admitted only in 1947 - Pakistan pulled more than its weight in the early years of its membership in the United nations over all these matters. R R R R R INTERVIEW - SEPTEMBER 15, 1962 Question : The last time, Sir, we had been talking about the United Nations and the Kashmir issue, and I wonder if today you would want to go on from there, after the passing of the resolution, to the working of the UN Commission. Khan : One development that took place after the passing of the resolution and before the Commission came over to the subcontinent, was that about the middle of the last week of April our then Commander-in-Chief, General Gracey made a report to the Prime Minister, who was also Defence Minister, that India was preparing to mount a military offensive in Kashmir, and what its consequences would be, in case India proceeded with what appeared to be obvious was its design, both for Kashmir territory and for Pakistan. When that appreciation was considered by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, they decided that if India mounted a military offensive that would be against the spirit of the Security Council Resolution of the 17th of January, 1948, which both sides had accepted and in which both sides had been told not to do anything which might further exacerbate the situation and that it would be necessary to put in regular Pakistani forces to hold the line. That is what in fact happened; India started the offensive and Pakistani troops were engaged. Prime Minister Nehru protested, but we