“India and Pakistan Must Co-operate More Closely” -- Ali Khan

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22877, 22 February 1949, Page 7

“India and Pakistan Must Co-operate More Closely” -- Ali Khan

KARACHI, Feb. 20.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, in a foreign policy statement today said that India and Pakistan must co-operate more closely. “We must go forward shoulder to shoulder,” he said, adding that relations with India were the key to Pakistan’s foreign affairs. The relationship between the two countries had been bad because of Kashmir, but a just solution to Kashmir could be found if both the Indian and Pakistan Government honestly adhered to their obligations. Pakistan would always strive to strengthen and better her relations with India. • Mr. Ali Khan said the future of Palestine should have been decided by a plebiscite of the Palestinian people and

not by Security Council resolutions. Palestine belonged to the Arabs and no other people had the right to it. / He claimed that Indonesia should. be given full independence “with the new awakening in Asia the time for colonialism has ended. Whatever we can do to help the Indonesian people we shall do.” Reviewing the Dominion’s defences, Mr Ali Khan said: “Our armed strength is such that if we are attacked we shall not’ be destroyed _ without destroying pur enemy.” Pakistan’s defensive preparations were not planned for aggressive designs. ~ Mr. Ali Khan said that before the partition in 1947 Britain had given Pakistan only two months to form a Government. He added: “If the British were thrown out of London and had to establish an administration in ■two-months I am sure they could not 1 have done it. We accepted their chal- . lenge and we succeeded.’’