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Historical documents

531 Hankinson to Burton

Letter CANBERRA, 15 October 1947

SECRET

We have been asked to let you know informally that the United
Kingdom Government feel that the delay which is occurring in the
establishment at Karachi of representation of Commonwealth
Governments other than the United Kingdom is contrary to the
interests both of the other Commonwealth Governments and of the
United Kingdom Government in their relations with Pakistan. [1] At
this critical phase in the relations between Pakistan and India
and in the Pakistan Government's efforts to stabilise the internal
situation and develop its organs of administration, it would
afford great encouragement to them and considerable assistance to
the United Kingdom High Commissioner to have at hand
representatives of other Commonwealth Governments for the purposes
of consultation and exchange of views. It would, moreover, be much
more satisfactory that reports of developments in Pakistan
supplying essential background to the consideration of its
Government's representations should be reaching other Commonwealth
Governments through their own representatives rather than through
the present indirect channel of the United Kingdom High
Commissioner.

It is understood that the Australian High Commissioner at New
Delhi is not accredited to the Pakistan Government and has not of
course made any direct personal contact with the Pakistan
Government at Karachi, though one of his staff has paid a visit
there, and the United Kingdom authorities fear that the Pakistan
Government may derive the impression that the Australian
Government is receiving a one-sided picture of current events
owing to the better acquaintance of their representative with the
situation as seen from Delhi, and of the attitude of the Indian
Government. The Pakistan Government would certainly appreciate the
recognition of Pakistan's membership of the United Nations being
signalised by the early appointment to Karachi of separate High
Commissioners for Australia and the other members of the British
Commonwealth.

I am, of course, aware that it is the intention of the
Commonwealth Government to establish a High Commissioner's office
at Karachi and that, in fact, some of the staff has already been
designated to that post, but I think you will still be interested
in the views of the United Kingdom authorities set out above. They
have asked me to add that, in their opinion, it would be in the
interests of the Australian Government, no less than in those of
the United Kingdom, that early arrangements for separate
Australian representation at Karachi should be made, and to
suggest that in the meantime it would be useful if it could be
arranged for the Australian High Commissioner at New Delhi to
visit Karachi to establish personal contact with the Pakistan
authorities there.

1 India and Pakistan had become independent on 15 August 1947.


[AA : A1068, M47/32/2/1]
Last Updated: 11 September 2013
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