India To Deal With Pakistan On Equal Footing

Interview to Swiss Journalist, De Eric Streiff, special correspondent of the Neue Zurcher Zeitung, March 11, 1948

Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in an interview given to a Swiss journalist, Mr. De Eric Streiff, special correspondent of the Neue Zurcher Zeitung on March 11, 1948, in answer to the question whether there is any hope of India and Pakistan coming to a peaceful settlement of their own with regard to their differences and disputes on very vital and important matters, said: "Yes, provided the Indian Government will shed the superiority complex and will deal with Pakistan on an equal footing and fully appreciate the realities."
To the question whether in international affairs Pakistan and India will work jointly and also join hands for the defence of their borders - both land and sea - and co-operate against any outside aggression, the Governor-General of Pakistan replied: "Personally I have no doubt in my mind that our own paramount interests demand that the Dominion of Pakistan and the Dominion of India should co-ordinate for the purpose of playing their part in international affairs and the developments that may take place and also it is of vital importance to Pakistan and India as independent sovereign states to collaborate in a friendly way jointly to defend their frontiers both on land and sea against any aggression. But this depends entirely on whether Pakistan and India can resolve their own differences, if we can put our house in order internally, then we may be able to play a very great part externally in all international affairs."
To the question 'Is Pakistan going to remain in the Commonwealth of Nations?' Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah replied: "To begin with that is a matter for the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to decide and secondly, it is obvious that it depends upon so many factors. We have to consider not one side of the business, but also see whether remaining in the Commonwealth of Nations will be as much to our advantage as to that of other sister nations in the Commonwealth."