§ 45. Mr. Gammansasked the Prime Minister when he expects to receive a reply to the protest which he has made to Pandit Nehru regarding the allegations made against British officers in the service of Pakistan; and if he will undertake to publish in due course the whole correspondence.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee)On instructions from the Government, the Acting High Commissioner for the United Kingdom at Delhi made strong representations about the views which Mr. Nehru expressed in the course of a speech on 16th July. I greatly regret that Mr. Nehru should have lent the weight of his authority to such unfounded allegations.
1457 I have no doubt that British advisers and officers at present in the employment of the Pakistan Government are loyally serving that Government, just as their colleagues in India are loyally serving the Government of India. I am satisfied that there is no truth in suggestions which have been made that certain senior British ex-officers who have recently visited Pakistan on private business have taken part in military planning discussions or similar military activities.
As to the last part of the Question, it would be contrary to established practice to publish the details of communications exchanged with another Commonwealth Prime Minister.
§ Mr. GammansWould it not have been more appropriate if the Prime Minister had made a public defence of these officers as soon as that allegation was made, and not wait until a Question was put on the Order Paper?