10 July 1946
By Colonel Riaz Jafri
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
A very important chapter of our history was written
on July 10th, 1946 in Bombay.
The Cabinet Mission Plan had been accepted both
by the Congress on May 24, 1946 and the Muslim
League on June 6, 1946. Broadly it envisaged a
confederation of British India with three autonomous
confederating units (zones). Zone A - present
Pakistan including the full province of Punjab
and Kashmir. Zone B - Complete provinces of Bengal
and Assam. Zone C - rest of India. The Union was
to deal with Defence, Foreign and Communications
only. Rest of the residuary powers were to be
controlled by the confederating units. An interim
government was to be formed with powers of Executive
and Legislature, till full powers were transferred
to the confederation and confederating units.
etc.
This was more or less akin to getting Pakistan
for the Muslims, who were in majority in Zone
A and could have had a government of their choice
to serve them best, and was, therefore acceptable
to the Quaid and others.
Now a very interesting development took place
at this juncture of our history. Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad who had been President of Congress
for the past nine years (since 1937) went over
to Gandhi and asked him that as Independence was
in the offing he should replace him with Nehru.
Gandhi said, "Nehru even dreams in English,
how can think Saudeshi? You carry on". Azad
argued, "That it will be a Muslim (meaning
Quaid) on the other side and if there is a Muslim
(meaning himself) on this side also, the Hindus
will not feel much pleased with the Independence.
Nehru was installed President of the All India
Congress Committee party. Nehru was addressing
his very first press conference as the President
of the Congress party in Bombay on July 10, 1946
when some journalist asked him the question, "So,
Congress has after all agreed to the partitioning
of India?" Only God knows what went through
the mind of Nehru, he retorted, "No, it will
be for the Constituent Assembly of India (to be
formed under the Interim Govt.) to decide what
form of future government will India have".
That was negation of confederation as the Congress
with obvious Hindu majority in the Constituent
Assembly could bulldoze any amendments to the
Cabinet Mission Plan.
That was that. "If the Congress while the
British were still around could say things like
that, what will happen when the British would
have left?" This was the natural concern
of all Muslims. With a heavy heart and disappointment
the Quaid announced the next day, “Direct
Action and now nothing short of Complete Pakistan".
Disappointment - because that was the last chance
of keeping India united. Heavy heart - because
Quaid could clearly foresee the ensuing communal
bloodshed and mass refugee exodus from both sides
of the divide with untold sufferings and miseries.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
