The Gisborne Herald. IN WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES." GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1948. SECURITY COUNCIL FORESEES KASHMIR DANGER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22617, 21 April 1948, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. IN WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES." GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1948. SECURITY COUNCIL FORESEES KASHMIR DANGER

r JMTE anxious interest which the Security Council of the United Nations appears to be taking in the Kashmir situation is readily understandable. The events of the last few months in Kashmir are symptomatic of the perils and problems which the British withdrawal has brought to India. This northern mountain fastness, wedged between the Dominions of Pakistan and India, threatens to become a battleground for the rival ambitions of New Delhi and Karachi and another shuttlecock in the Hindu-Moslem struggle for power. Last October Kashmir, with its predominantly Moslem population and Hindu ruler, was in a state of turmoil. The trouble began when the Maharajah planned to throw in his territory’s lot with India ; this led to a revolt among his Moslem subjects. At the same time Pakistan stopped supplies of petrol to Kashmir and thus immobilised its entire transport system, while at one stage several thousand Pathans and Pakistan soldiers on leave invaded the State and began to close in on the capital. Since then the news of developments has been obscure. It is probable that such order as exists has. been rigorously enforced rather than established by friendly negotiation. This could do nothing to alleviate the underlying antagonisms now gravely inllamedr “Demands” are still in the air. One of. the latest cablegrams, received this week, stated that 200 tribal chiefs, representing 2.500,000 North-West Frontier tribesmen, had demanded from the Governor-General of Pakistan, Mr. Jinnah, a right-of-way tluough Pakistan to help their “Moslem brethren” in Kashmir. Mr. Jinnah was told that these tribesmen would not rest until the State had been cleared of Indian troops. This development is typical of the delicate position now being faced. The Security Council foresees the danger of a major civil war between the new Dominions of India and Pakistan unless a solution is found quickly through its good office's. It. remains to be seen whether the power and prestige of the Council ai’e high enough to be effective at the present time. A further trouble lias been the attitude taken up by the Indian Government over the small State of Junagarli, which has a Moslem ruler and a predominantly Hindu population. When the Moslem ruler declared his accession to Pakistan, the Government of New Delhi sent a military force to the frontier and succeeded, by these tactics in having the decision reversed. Yet, from a practical point of view, the adherence of Junagarli to Pakistan provides far fewer administrative and economic difficulties than that of Kashmir to India. Nor can it he easily believed that a truly free.vote taken in Kashmir would produce the result which New Delhi seeks. Cool heads and calm counsels will be needed in both Dominions if serious trouble between them is to be averted. Perhaps the knowledge that any clasli in Kashmir would almost certainly set the North-West Frontier ablaze, with incalculable consequences for the whole of India, will induce moderation in time to save a catastrophe.