Mr Liaquat Ali Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, in a foreign policy statement today said, relations with India “is the key question in Pakistan’s foreign affairs.” India and Pakistan “have got to go shoulder to shoulder with each other,” he added, “and it is very important that our relations should improve.”
Mr Liaquat Ali Khan, who was addressing the first session of the reorganized Pakistan Muslim League Council here said relations between the two countries had been bad “because of Kashmir. A just solution to Kashmir can be found if both the Indian and Pakistan Governments honestly adhere and fulfil their obligations; and we for our part, will always strive to strengthen and better our relations with India,” he said.
The reorganization and consolidation of Pakistan’s major political party took place today when the All-Pakistan Muslim League agreed to a merger with the Pakistan States Muslim League.
“We demanded Pakistan,” Mr Liaquat All Khan said. “so that Muslims can have a place to mould their destinies in accordance with the tenets of Islam. We wanted to create a laboratory, to set up a government to practise Islamic principles-the best in the world.
“We cannot establish an Islamic State without a political organization which knows what Islam is and what Islam stands for,” he maintained.
Referring to tribal areas, he said it was not his Government’s policy to keep tribesmen by force of arms. The: Pakistan Army had been withdrawn from the tribal areas, although the British had kept at least 36 battalions there.
Defence Policy
Reviewing the defence policy, he declared: “Our armed strength is such that if we are attacked we shall not be destroyed without destroying our enemy.” Pakistan’s defensive preparations were not planned for aggressive designs, he added.
He disclosed that 410 British officers, mostly, technicians, were now serving in the Army. The Pakistan Navy had 300 officers of whom 30 were British, while the Air Force had 310 including 41 British R.A.F. officers. There were also 327 British other ranks attached to the Air Force for technical duties.
The Partition-And After
Mr Liaquat Ali pointed out that before partition in August, 1947, Britain had given Pakistan only two months to form a government. “If the British were thrown out of London and had to establish an administration in two months, I am sure they could not have done it,” he said. “We accepted their challenge and we succeeded.”
Dealing with Palestine, the Premier said that the future should have been decided by a plebiscite of the people and not by the U.N. Security Council resolution. Palestine belonged to the Arabs and no other people had a right to it, he asserted.
He claimed that Indonesia should be given full independence. Dutch occupation of the territory was unjust: With the “new awakening in Asia,” the time for colonialism was gone. “Whatever we can do to help the Indonesian people we shall do, he added.