Coll 5/62 ‘India-Kabul Route: Question of establishment of an air service between India and Kabul’ [‎31r] (61/677)

Porfijial and ildvate
British Legation, Kabul*
30tii Hay, 1%7*
^ear ^Crichton,
y fears last xrocis. about tiie air mission have not cone true in quite
the Ymy I anticipated and xtq have on the contrary had a most "entertaining"
week* Apart frr rmin objective the Mission seems to have been a
howling, or perhaps I might more accurately say a "screaming" success*
You will be getting an official rerx>rt both fron us and I suppose from
the Mission itself in due course*
2* 1 .1. Ra i t . d :c tlmt the ar lgi al r^vc. nnent of Irdia orders
defining his toms of reference as merely to iscuss technical details
which we had of course passed on to the Afghan Government no longer
applied now that he "the senior most Muslim ncibor of the I*0*S* in
India and a former Conmissioner of Berar* was in charge. The ission
Imd ap^iaiently liad sone most interesting sessions with the Afghans in
which they discussed everything from Russian diplo acy and the iniquities
of the Congress Party to Afghanistan* 3 cxjonarAc requirements* So
fartl ca in fact have they been that Atiul Ma r ’ld Khan, ’mistor for
National conay, 1 inself attended one of t eir sessions and haranr^ied
the assembly for over two hours on the subject of Afghanistan* s 15 year
development program •’W and the econ ’oic assistance which they require
to caiy it out. All sorts of details were discussed and although I did
net gather that 11.1, Raliim had definitely comiitted the Government of
India to providing the 213 crores which tiie Afglians need for their
program o I did understand that once this .inor matter had been settled
there would be no t Ity about completing an air agreement.
3. You prgba ly knerq that LI. Ra’dn is a rabid Iraslim -eague partisan.
As India’s, and in partic r r. Jii ah*8 self-styled ^rsonal representative
he has been most active* He sigried his name in the ving f s book on
Wednesday, Afgian Indepc -dence Day, and offered tlierein his "hearty
gmtulations and beert wishes from India". At the same time he told
X 3 S in the presence of Af, ;Iian officials that next year it would be ny
privilege to sign twice, first as His Majesty's Minister and then as
g. . »s Ambassador for s riston. lie called on the Russian Charge d*.Affaire
and treated him to a disquisition on the iniquities of the Congress
Xart ; he Imd an interview with the Prime l 'inistor lasting nearly two
hours giving Iiim details of the new Palcistan? he told other diplomats
that he was sure tlmt t-ie kind messages which he hod received from them
would be much r, pre dated by It. < innsh as well as by _«andit 'e’oru and he
claimed that he represented not so much the Oovcrmerrt of India as the
ion^le Member for Can uiicaiions and Mr. Jimah. In fact we have hardly
hod a dull ro .ert siii e liis arrival.
Tiiis letter is of course for your pi' sent information only. I
shnll try ord sun \ii> tine results, ood rmd bad, of the Mission later
when wo Inave had time to take stock of the position; and I should not
like to . Rahim personally into trouble as he lias been a
Itll til n m ising visit r. :: o " ult 2«y ■•Iwtoi of tnoto tm
obviously unsuitable person as head of the Mission and the failure to
brief him or lay down specific terras of r ference. This should be a
warrdng for the future. Selections of t is sort can only bring ridicule
on "India as a whole" (tiK>u^i perim^s ti ls rdli not atter in a month or
two when tliere will be no such thing) and much wore care should obviously
bo token both in the selection of personnel and in drawing up terras of
reference.
Yours sincerely.
Major .2. . Crichton, C.-l. .,
Internal Af fad « Departe nt.
Hew Dellij *
Sd. G.F.