‘Defence pact’

Published September 9, 2018

THIS is with reference to the letter ‘Quaid on Indo-Pak joint defence’ (Sept 6). As far as I know, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah never made any such offer to India.

It would have made no sense since Pakistan and India were already involved in hostilities at the time, and there was no threat to either country from any other power.

It was Ayub Khan who offered a joint defence pact to India. Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was the most vocal critic of this offer.

If the Quaid had ever made a joint defence offer to India, she would not have opposed Ayub Khan in this matter.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

On press freedoms
Updated 03 May, 2026

On press freedoms

THE citizenry forgets, to its own peril, how important a free and independent media is in the preservation of their...
Inflation strain
03 May, 2026

Inflation strain

PAKISTAN’S return to double-digit inflation after 21 months signals renewed economic strain where external shocks...
Troubled waters
03 May, 2026

Troubled waters

PAKISTAN’S water crisis is often framed in terms of scarcity. Increasingly, it is also a crisis of contamination....
Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...