India Might Leave

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30498, 21 July 1964, Page 13

India Might Leave

(N Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, July 20.

An article in the “Daily Herald” today said that India might leave the Commonwealth because she thought Britain and other Commonwealth countries had “betrayed” her on the Kashmir issue. Michael Lake, Commonwealth correspondent of this Labour daily, said that prospects of IndianPakistani talks on Kashmir had faded since the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference, with India accusing Bril' ain of siding with Pakistan in the dispute.

The Commonwealth would disintegrate if other member countries emulated India’s “somewhat immature attitude” in such matters as the Kashmir dispute, the Pakistan Foreign Minister (Mr Z. A. Bhutto)

said in a statement in London today. The Indian campaign against the Commonwealth is an attempt to coerce the Commonwealth into accepting the present Kashmir position, he said.

The position now is contrary to United Nations decisions and the Commonwealth’s principles of self-determina-tion and justice.

“We are greatly appreciative of Britain’s policy of peaceful decolonisation and we feel that her attitude in Kashmir is in keeping with this policy. “The sooner this is realised in India, the better it will be for Commonwealth co-operation and Indian-Pakistan reconciliation,” said Mr Bhutto.