Coll 5/62 ‘India-Kabul Route: Question of establishment of an air service between India and Kabul’ [‎34r] (67/677)

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BriUsh LegstiohjKab^vjl
30th May 1947
My fears last week about the air mission have noticome quite ^
the way I anticipated and we have on the contrary had a-^j^SsTmen ™
week. y Apart from its main objective the Mission
howling, or perhaps I might more accurately say a ocieam g t - -
You wili be getting an official report both from us and I suppose from
V^Jdission itself in due course.
2. M.I. Kahim told me that the original Government of Indie orders
defining his terms of reference as merely to discuss technxCdl
which we had of course passed on to the Afghan 3 ovarnme.it no ,‘ig
applied now that he "the senior most Muslim member of the in
India and a former Commissioner of Berar" was in on «^e* T^ Mission
has apparently had some most interesting sessions witn the 4. . . . + .
which they discussed everything from Russian diplomacy ^ ‘l
of the Congress Party to Afghanistan's economic ^ u ^®“ en ^: is ^° r toT
forthcoming in fact have they been that Abdul Majid Kha n >
Nations 1 Economy, himself attended one i^s Kear
the assembly for over two hours on the subject of reau ire to
development programme and the economic assistance wh^cn ^ ®^ _ did
carrv it out. All sorts of details were discussed and although I did
no ^g a the r tha t M.I.Rahim had definitely committed the Governmentof
India to oroviding the 215 crores which the Afghans need for tneir
oroaramme^I^id understand that once this minor matter had been settled
there would be nSgreat difficulty about completing an airagreement.
3 You probably know/M.I.Rahim is a rabid Muslim League partisan. As
India 's°and in particular Mr. Jinnah;s self-styled personalrepresent-
ative he hasbeen most active. He signed his name * a the .. g , .
on Wednesday, Afghan Independence Da i r »^^ ti£e he told
congratulations and best wishes from India". At the ff”® “™ e J"
me In the presence of Afghan officials that next year it would be my
privilege to sign twice, first as His Majesty's Minister and then es
H.M's Ambassador for Pakistan. He called on the ai ~
nnd traated him to a disquisition on the iniquities of the _ Dugress
Partyl ^ hafaTinterview with the Prime Minister lasting nearly two
hours giving him details of the new Pakistan} he told other diplomats
that hf sure that the kind messages which he had received from them
would h be much appreciated by Mr.Jinnih as well as by Pandit Nehru and he'
claimed that he P represented not so much the Government of -^^ve h^dly
Hon'ble Member for Communications and Mr.Jinnah. In fact we hav.. hardly
had a dull moment since his arrival.
4. This letter is of course for your P res « nt ^°^H°?
shall try and sum up the results, good and bad, of the +
when have had time to take stock of the position; and I ahould not
1 ikf , t0 gret M.I. Rahim personally into trouble as he has been a d light
fuf Jld amusiAS visitor. The fault lay in the selection of such an
nhviouslv unsuitable person as head of the Mission and the failure to
■hY»-ihim or lav down specific terns of reference* This shoula be ^
-«™? n g^o? tha y futu?e! Selections of this sort can only bring ridicule
S^lSaie as a whole" (though perhaps this will not matter in a month or
on tP 0 ”; 8 ., win no such thing) and much more care should obvxouslj
reference.
Vr
Major G.C.L.Crichton, C.I*E.,
External Affairs Department,
New Delhi.