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JINNAH INDIA – PARTITION – INDEPENDENCE JINNAH INDIA – PARTITION – INDEPENDENCE JASWANT SINGH First published in 2009 by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi 110002 Sales centres: Allahabad Bengaluru Chennai Hyderabad Jaipur Kathmandu Kolkata Mumbai Copyright © Jaswant Singh 2009 Cover design: [email protected] The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and the facts are as reported by him/her which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same. This digital edition published in 2012 e-ISBN: 978-81-291-2014-4 Jaswant Singh asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Digital edition prepared by Ninestars Information Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, print reproduction, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Any unauthorized distribution of this e-book may be considered a direct infringement of copyright and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. To those that lost their all in the ‘partition’ ‘….Dawn was theirs, And sunset and the colours of the earth ’. RUPERT BROOKE ; The Dead CONTENTS List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction: A Complex Opening 1 India and Islam 2 Jenabhai to Jinnah: The Journey 3 The Turbulent Twenties 4 Sharpening Focus – Narrowing Options 5 A Short Decade – A Long End Game 6 Sunset of the Empire – ‘Post-dated Cheque on a Collapsing Bank’ 7 A War of Succession – Diverging Paths 8 Stymied Negotiations? 9 Mountbatten Viceroyalty: The End of the Raj 10 Pakistan: Birth–Independence: The Quaid-e-Azam’s Last Journey 11 In Retrospect Appendices Appendix to Chapter 1 Appendix I: The Simla Delegation and the Formation of the Muslim League Appendices to Chapter 2 Appendix I: Minto−Morley Reforms (1909) Appendix II: The Official British Opinion on the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms Appendix III: Lucknow Pact Appendix to Chapter 5 Appendix I: The Elections of 1937 Appendices to Chapter 6 Appendix I: The Cripps Mission Plan, 1942 Appendix II: The C.R. Formula, 1943 Appendix III: Gandhi’s Offer as Revealed in his Letter to Jinnah, 24 September 1944 Appendix IV: The Desai Formula Appendix V: Wavell on Gandhi–Jinnah talks 30 September 1944 Appendices to Chapter 8 Appendix I: The Wavell Plan, 1945 Appendix II: The Muslim Legislators’ Convention, 1946 Appendix III: Muslim League’s Memorandum to the Cabinet Mission Appendix IV: Congress Proposals to the Cabinet Mission Appendix V: The Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946 Appendix VI: The 3 June 1947 Statement Appendix VII: Wavell–Gandhi–Nehru – 27 September 1946 Post Calcutta killings Appendix VIII: Wavell–The Vicreoy’s Journal Ed. by Penderel Moon Appendix IX: Note by Field Marshal Sir C. Auchinleck Appendix X: The Long-Term Plan Appendix XI: The Congress submitted panel of 15 names for the proposed Executive Council Appendix XII: List of Provinces Appendix to Chapter 10 Appendix I: Quaid-i-Azam’s Message to Hindustan 7 August 1947 Appendices to Chapter 11 Appendix I: Mr. Jinnah’s Presidential Address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan Appendix II: Speech Delivered by Maulana Azad at Jama Masjid of Delhi on 23 October 1947 Appendix III: Dialogue between the Author, Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph, Professors of Political Science Emeritus, University of Chicago Endnotes Index LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. An elegant Jinnah 2. Jinnah relaxing 3. Barrister Jinnah 4. Jinnah, H.J. Rustomjee and Homi Rustomjee 5. Meeting of the Indian National Congress and All India Muslim League 6. Jinnah with his Doberman and West Highland Terrier 7. Jinnah with daughter Dina 8. Jinnah with sister Fatima and daughter Dina 9. Muslim League leaders 10. Round Table Conference, London, 1931 11. Jinnah with Subhas Bose 12. All India Muslim League, 26th Session 13. At 10 Aurangzeb Lane, 1944–45 14. Reception at India House 15. Jinnah arriving in Karachi 16. Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah at opening of the State Bank of Pakistan 17. At Quetta Railway Station, 1945 18. With Louis Fischer 19. With Muslim League Women's Guard 20. With sister Fatima 21. Jinnah in his study 22. Jinnah in Jodhpur breeches 23. As Barrister at Law (top and bottom) 24. On holiday (top and bottom) 25. Quaid-e-Azam Governor-General Mohammed Ali Jinnah ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My quest for writing a political biography of Mohammed Ali Jinnah goes back a long way, but really as a thought, the seed of the idea lying dormant for many years, certainly until 1999, when fortuitous circumstances made its planting possible. This was during Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s historical bus journey to Lahore in 1999. I accompanied the prime minister to Minar-e- Pakistan, (It is a 60-metre high tower to mark the place where the All India Muslim League adopted a resolution for the creation of Pakistan on 23 March 1940) returning from where I was struck by the thought there existed no biography of Jinnah written by a political figure from India. It was then that I decided to fill the gap; however, yet again, between that thought and subsequent action, the gap lengthened. It was only in 2004 when a processing of this work actually began. It was the period when I was out of office and had a fair amount of time to reflect, to research and to write. It is then that my first consultations also started; a large number of those whom I spoke with wondered why I was venturing on this path at all and as most well-wishers do, cautioned me against doing so. However, I persisted, for, it was a journey of my own, of my re-discovery and a clearer understanding of why India had been partitioned in 1947. After much deliberation, I did venture forth, and now, finally, the ‘book’ is here. It has taken me five years to write, rewrite, check, crosscheck, seemingly an endless process. My list of those to whom I am deeply grateful is very long, but the very first acknowledgement has to be to Dr Z.H. Zaidi, editor-in-chief of the Quaid-i-Azam Papers Project, National Archives of Pakistan. When contacted he was immediately of great help, and remained so, consistently, corresponding on his charmingly antiquated manual typewriter. In this age, I wondered, of proliferating computers and vastly more efficient printers? Dr Zaidi had instantly offered all assistance and unstintingly, unceasingly he gave it. Thank you very much, Doctor Sahib. The research for this book involved consulting an intimidating wealth of books, all chronicling that period, all works of great learning, experience, passion, and remarkable merit. The Endnotes section lists them, my acknowledgements being but the markers of my obligations. Raghvendra Singh was a marvel of assistance in my endeavours; relentlessly

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Contents: List of illustrations. Acknowledgements. Introduction: A complex opening. 1. India and Islam. 2. Jenabhai to Jinnah: the journey. 3. The Turbulent twenties. 4. Sharpening focus -- narrowing options. 5. A short decade -- a long end game. 6. Sunset of the empire -- post-dated cheque on a col