Indian Uncertainties
Bad news from India in the last few days has been satisfactorily scarce, but whether conditions there represent an uneasy and evan- escent peace or the transition to a period if not of amity at any rate of mutual tolerance it is much too early to determine. It is some- thing at least that a standstill agreement has been reached between the Dominion of India and the State of Hyderabad. An article on a later page of this issue, in which a well-qualified observer gives a straightforward account of what he himself saw of the disturbances in the Punjab, provokes much more misgiving than confidence. The writer holds clear views of where the responsibility mainly lies. That is fully justifiable. Allowance must be made in every such case for the possibility of human error, but objectivity consists not in a spurious neutrality but in the endeavour to see things as they are and form an honest judgement on them. Most of India is peaceful, but it was only where the Dominions of India and Pakistan adjoin that trouble was to be expected, and it was there in fact that the trouble broke out. If the prime offenders were the Sikhs then a reasonable understanding between Muslims and Hindus should be sufficient to prevent further serious outbursts. Unless it be true, which is not easily credible, that India entertains the intention of ultimately absorbing Pakistan, it is to the interest of both Dominions to make the best of a situation which, however un- satisfactory, was probably inevitable. The leaders on both sides may have the wisdom to take that view. Whether their followers will is another question.
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