Delhi and Karachi .
The systematic progress of the talks between India and Pakistan, and the presence of Pandit Nehru in Karachi, on the first visit he has paid to Pakistan, is reassuring. That the pace is deliberate rather than precipitate is all to the good The essential fact is that a new and more favourable atmosphere is being created in which the inevitable difficulties instead of being magnified will be minimised. It is in the light of that consideration that the trade agreement just concluded must be assessed. It is essentially short-term, running only till the end of July, and while it covers commodities like jute, it does not include coal, which is so essential to Pakistan. But at least the trade-barrier is broken ; the streams of commerce can flow again ; and an interval is provided in which more extensive accords can be negotiated. With the two Bengals relatively peaceful and the refugees taking courage to return to their homes, the general situation has substantially improved. If agreement could be reached on Kashmir it would be almost revolutionised.
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