From 50 Years Ago: Western Arms Aid

Western arms aid was prompt and generous in the first few days of the emergency. But after the unilateral withdrawal by China, not only did any further aid fail to materialise, the negotiations for aid seem to have got bogged down. They have been prolonged and tortuous… The problem of strengthening the defences of the country and preparing adequately for possible aggression from China remains as acute as before. A settlement with Pakistan of the Kashmir dispute was the first snag that held up the arms aid talks. There followed a series of meetings between the representatives of India and Pakistan for a settlement of the disputes outstanding between the two countries but the talks, as expected, produced no results…

The next hurdle to be crossed was Pakistan’s vehement opposition to western arms aid to India even for the exclusive purpose of strengthening her defence against China. Pakistan based her opposition…on the ground that she was a member of the SEATO, while India was not bound by any military pacts or defensive agreements with the US or Britain and claimed her special position as an ‘ally’ as against India which was only a friend…