OCR Text |
Show STRIFE SLOWS India Nears Gandhi Goal NEW DELHI. M ohindai K. Gandhi, a kindly little man of peace, has attained in violent death goals he missed with his preaching of love. He was slain more than a year ago. His India and Pakistan are learning learn-ing to dwell as peaceful neighbors. The fanatical religious warring between be-tween Hindu and Moslem in the two dominions has largely subsided. subsid-ed. And India, 'as he desired, is building patiently as a democratic secular state instead of the rightist religious government his assassins wanted. People Want Justice Wht Gandhi would have said about any effort to punish his slayers slay-ers will be debated In India for a long time. But the people have raised no question that Justice should take its course. Bloody rioting between the Hindu and Moslem populations of India and Pakistan had become commonplace common-place when Gandhi was shot down. He was walking to his prayer meeting meet-ing place here to continue his cru sade for communal peace, when three shots were fired Into his body. ' The crime occured as India faced critical times and issues. There was talk of war between the two new dominions, created when British crown rule of India ended and the country was divided in August, 1947. Refugees crammed the cities, calling for the blood of people of the opposite religion. Hindus Hin-dus had fled Pakistan, and Moslems from India 12 million of them. Economy Shaken The economy was shaken on both sides of the border. Not all of the headway in the past months came about as Gandhi would have done It. There was more rioting, but it ebbed steadily. The police and military crushed it with their guns, bayonets and clubs. Organizations preaching religious hatred were outlawed and harried out of existence. Under leadership of two staunch friends, Prime Minister Jawahar-lal Jawahar-lal Nehru and Governor-General C. Rajagopalacharl, India has come far to give Gandhi In death a peaceful land. A cease-fire agreement arranged with United Nations assistance, stopped the fighting of Indian and Pakistan troops In the neighboring I state of Kashmir. In conference, leaders of the two countries agreed : to strive for amicable settlement of I this and other issues. |