The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 192
176 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN When the Commander-in-Chief came back to Delhi, the Prime Minister was not there, and there was a little further delay. When they submitted their plan to the Commission, they stipulated that the Commission was not to disclose it to the representatives of Pakistan, and not even to transmit it to the Security Council, till an agreement was reached, when the agreement could be published. The Commission found itself in a difficult position. I imagine a certain amount of discussion went on between the Commission and the representatives of India. Eventually the Commission in its report to the Security Council recorded its views that neither qualitatively nor quantitatively did the plan constitute compliance with the Resolutions. The two resolutions of the Commission had provided that the tribesmen and other elements who had entered Azad Kashmir for the purpose of fighting should go out. This had been achieved shortly after the ceasefire and the Commission had so certified. Then a Truce Agreement was to be reached between the two governments providing for the complete withdrawal of the Pakistani forces and the withdrawal of the bulk of the Indian forces. The Pakistani forces were to begin the withdrawal and thereupon the withdrawal of Indian forces was to begin. The two withdrawals were to proceed simultaneously until the whole of the Pakistani forces and the bulk of the Indian forces had been withdrawn. At that stage, the Plebiscite Administrator would take over and he would then carry out the final disposal of the forces on both sides in order to ensure the freedom of the plebiscite, the security of the state, the maintenance of law and order. That is where the thing got stuck. No Truce Agreement was reached and the Commission reported that they could not usefully carry on. The Commission was dissolved and a U. N. representative was appointed with all the powers of the Commission to try to get a Truce Agreement and to carry on with what began to be known as demilitarization and then to arrange for the organization of the plebiscite. Sir Owen Dixon, who was a Judge of the High Court of Australia and subsequently became Chief Justice of Australia, was appointed U. N. representative. He went over to the subcontinent and carried on discussions with both sides. He recorded his conclusion that he was convinced that he could not get any plan accepted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru which would ensure the freedom and impartiality of the plebiscite.