10 AUGUST 1951, Page 16

Seen from Pakistan

SIR,-The following extract from a letter just received from an Englishman (civilian) resident in Paldstan may be of interest: "It is remarkable how everyone, including the civil population, is keeping very level-headed about the crisis—which undoubtedly is serious. The general feeling seems_to be that unless someone loses his head, it will pass: but India certainly seems lunatic. I can say emphatically from niy own knowledge . . . that Pakistan took no preliminary steps before India's concentrations, And that the whole thing came as a complete surprise. - So much for Nehru's-talk about meeting a threat. . . Secondly, even if India has reduced her army (and that is a very moot point) Pakistan started in 1947 with a very much smaller one ; and, as many people fail to realise, without a single complete regiment. Before that there were complete regiments of Hindus who went, bag and baggage with all equ*ment, to India ; but no' completely Muslim units or formations. India has three old-established ordnance'factories:. Pakistan has none."

I can vouch for the writer's good faith. He knows both India and Pakistan, and is in a position to learn the lacts.—I am, Sir, yours faithfully, . - - C. H. Dodd. Jesus College, Cambridge.