ABSTRACT
Since the emergence of the modern diplomatic system, the personality of the head of mission has played an important role in its functioning. The choice of an Ambassador/High Commissioner can also reflect the significance attached to the host country. Whilst implementing policy generated in the metropole, the Heads of the overseas mission can enhance its impact through personal connections and influence. Chapter 3 examines the contrasting personalities and influence of Britain’s first two High Commissioners in Karachi Laurence Grafftey-Smith and Gilbert Laithwaite. Their tenures of office were marked by the impact of the first Indo-Pakistan War over the disputed Kashmir territory and by the rise of American influence in the context of Pakistan’s emergence as a Cold War ally. Domestic Pakistan politics were increasingly unstable, following the untimely deaths of Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan. The chapter yields fresh insights into the impacts of their reports on policymakers in London and how they attempted to retain British influence in Pakistan’s rapidly changing domestic and international environment. There is also an introduction to Britain’s continuing commercial interests in Pakistan and the need to evacuate British subjects at times of crisis.
