The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 194
178 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN heard of it? You were present when I discussed this matter with him. He urged me to go to Karachi on the assumption that he was prepared to come into conference on a plan like that. " Sir Girja Shankar's comment was, "Sir Owen, I imagine the Prime Minister must have been overcome by temporary amnesia. " His effort having thus come to an end he submitted his report to the Security Council. He said at one place in his report - and India tried to make much of it later - that when he found that he could not make any headway with Prime Minister Nehru who insisted on having it declared that Pakistan was an aggressor, he told Prime Minister Nehru that he could not decide this question, nor had the Security Council authorized him to do it, but that he was prepared to assume for the purpose of carrying the matter forward that Pakistan's action was not in conformity with its obligations under international law. But even that did not help him to make any progress, and his attempt to formulate an alternative plan also fell through. Thereafter, Dr. Graham was appointed U. N. Representative and he made several efforts to persuade the two governments to agree to a scheme of demilitarization. Sometimes India urged that demilitari- zation should be completed in one process and that nothing should be left to the Plebiscite Administrator in that context, and sometimes they said they did not like it done in one process; sometimes their objection was to numbers, sometimes to Azad Kashmir forces. To each proposal of Dr. Graham they had some objection. We met in Karachi with Dr. Graham. He went to Delhi. We were asked to meet him in Geneva. Several meetings took place; he made several proposals, but either both sides were dissatisfied with his proposals, or India rejected them and Pakistan was willing to accept them, but nothing came of them. The matter was repeatedly taken to the Security Council. The Security Council went on affirming its previous resolutions. In the meantime, India went forward with setting up a Constituent Assembly in Kashmir, which was to frame a constitution for Kashmir, and to settle its future affiliation. We brought this to the notice of the Security Council. India, through Sir B. N. Rau, its then Permanent Repre- sentative at the United Nations, gave solemn assurance that though they could not stop the Constituent Assembly when it should be convened from passing any resolution which they might choose to pass, even on