Coll 5/62 ‘India-Kabul Route: Question of establishment of an air service between India and Kabul’ [‎30r] (59/677)

jT
i£ct, v V9A7
India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. IdlnutQB on Kabul ->e patch V,o»k6
dated 29tli May, 1947, and ir G. Squired lettoro
Ho* D*0.42/43/0 dated 29th J4ay, 1947, Ho.F.674/44
dated 1st .1947 a^nd tlie attaclied copy of a
I’croonal and c letter to Major G.C.L.
Cric/Mx)n d-My 30 th mv 1&?.
Subject : Indian 3 Civil Aviation Mission to Kabul .
In tlie despr -tihcc and private letters below Sir Giles Squire
describes the visit of an Indian C vil Aviation Mission to Kabul. The
i&scion was headed by tlie ner; Director Geneml of Civil /viation,
r. .1. r obtained, anonr o 'or r ovt -n - t officials,
two representatives of Indian Civil Aviation lines. Sir Giles Squire
complains that although the isoion, according to his inf or ation was a
"tecljiical Mission to discuss details for the or, nnisation of air
services botv/cen India and Kabul" it had in fact a draft air agreement
ready for aifpiaturc. ibis considerably embarrassed the Af^ians who
were in no position to conclude any agreement. 1310 Counsellor of the
L ration attended the several meetings held, and his report is attached
to Sir Giles Squire f s etter ITo.F.674/44 of 31st Ifey to the Government
of India. Fr Is report it seems that satisfactory progress was
ffindr on ur ly toe licnl discussion , '3ut the Indian object of concluding
an agreement ins not possible of r cliieveiaent* Officially, tiie Afghans
ex dained that ary civil air agreement t/sls dex^endent on a large loan
to" couplet© t’\eir 15 ear progrozoe of w5ich this agreement* would foira a
part* In ate meet ng, however, between Hr. Raliim, His Majesty* s
I inis ter, asid Najibullah Khan (Acting Minister for Education and leading
Af^ian Delegate) tlie latter explained that the real cause of their
Inability to conclude any agreement had been Russia*s objection to an
aerodrome at Herat (see desxjatch IT 0 . 46 ). Thereafter the meetings
strayed on to the subject of loans; a smaller loon for civil aviation
only was no use to them until the larger loan was assured and the
A ban Government were already negotiating with the U.v. for the latter.
Subsequently Najibullah Khan produced his Minister for National Economy
at one of the sessions, w?uo explained that Afghanistan wanted & loan
of 250 crores and gave details of how they intended to repay.
In a separate private letter Sir Giles Squire deplores the iJuslim
League partisanship displayed by Mr. Rahim to all and sundry, of
which Afj^ian Ministers took full advantage to obtain first hand
infer ation of Indians internal political difficulties, a subject which
had been scmpulounly avoided up till then in Kabul. It is hoped
that the full report sulxnitted to the External Affairs Department by His
Majesty's :iinistcr will act gg a warning in the future as to the choice
of representatives on missions in foreign countries.
Sd. J. Ross
13/6.
c^.0. scoretcoy
For aiy con ents.
Can ent scans unneefer^.ary? She nerc Imia - or Indias
wi3.L, it is to bo hoped, profit by experience.
Irdtld. R.E. F(ranee)
11 / 6 .
No com onto.
Initld. R. A. R. Coote-Robinson
12 / 6 .
Air Liaison Officer.
The indiscretions of r. Rahira have evidently not been lost on
the Afghan Government who will tales every opportunity open to them
of doming to their own advantage the internal strife between
the/