[For Favour of Publication]

Summary

This three-page English press statement, dated Bombay, October 31, records M. R. Masani’s address at a Swatantra Party public meeting in Napoo Gardens. Masani argues that India’s war against China made Indo-Pakistani friendship an urgent strategic necessity: Indian forces concentrated around Kashmir left the country exposed, while Assam’s narrow connection to the rest of India and East Pakistan’s position between them made Assam’s defence inseparable from Pakistan’s cooperation.

Key points

• Masani links the defence of Ladakh and NEFA against China to the defence of Pakistan’s borders.
• He presents Indo-Pakistani goodwill as necessary for India to redeploy troops from the Pakistani frontier against the Chinese offensive.
• The statement describes Assam’s geographical vulnerability and East Pakistan’s position between Assam and the rest of India.
• Masani calls on India’s Prime Minister to initiate negotiations and on President Ayub to assure India that Pakistan would not exploit the crisis.
• He endorses accepting military aid from friendly countries while maintaining a policy of non-alignment.
• He calls for distinguishing between friends and enemies, isolating the communist Fifth Column, and appointing a more dynamic Defence Minister.