FIGHTING AN OBSTACLE TO SELF GOVERNMENT IN THE PUNJAB

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1947, Page 5

FIGHTING AN OBSTACLE TO SELF GOVERNMENT IN THE PUNJAB

(Rec. 7.40.), LONDON, March 18. The general situation throughout the Punjab is still most critical. In twelve days up to Sunday, 1046 were killed there and 1167 injured in conflicts between the factions.

The Times Lahore correspondent says: So-called “Peace Committees” have been established m most towns, and the members are moving about trying to persuade the populations not to create further trouble, but the tension has gone beyond the stage were such committees are likely to do any good. Strong measures by local authorities can alone restore order, provided that there are sufficient forces available. In spite of all that may be said about India being capable of managing her own affairs, there is a general demand, from all quarters, for the help of British troops. In them genuine confidence is placed. At the moment there appears little or no hope of a settlement in the Punjab, and if the communal friction continues to spread into the rural areas, nobody is prepared to predict when it can be brought under control. chances of forming a Coalition Ministry in the Punjab Province are receding. The Congress and the Sikh leaders have declared that under no circumstances will they give the slightest support to the Moslem League in the formation of a Ministry. They oppose Pakistan in every shape and form. It seems, therefore, inevitable that the Governor’s rule in the Punjab will continue for a long time to come. Eut it remains to be seen whether sufficient force is available to bring the disorderly masses under subjection in any measurable time.

Reuter’s New Delhi correspondent says: The latest reports from the Punjab say that conditions in the big towns are quieter, but looting, arson and casualties continue in the hill regions in the north-west. Pandit Nehru, after a three-day tour of the disturbed areas, said the situation in the Punjab was more or less under control. “I think the disturbances will completely end within a few days. The army seems to be acting efficiently and rapidly.”