Tuesday, April 17, 2012

An unwitting contribution to Pakistan

 II.67 from volume XI of the Jinnah Papers, edited by Z.H. Zaidi:

Gulamhusein Qawwal to M.A. Jinnah
F.65/260-1
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Rahim

HUJRA UNDER NAGARKHANA,
DURGAH SHARIF,
AJMER,
23 October 1945

Beloved leader,

I am a poor Qawwal of Ajmer Sharif, and I give my haazree every evening in the Durgah Sharif.

This evening Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru accompanied by the only two Congress Muslims of Ajmer, came to Durgah Sharif and sat down to listen to my Qawwali and he offered me rupees twenty as nazrana.  I am al-hamdulillah a Muslim and as such a staunch Muslim Leaguer.   Hence I believe no better use can be made of this money than for the purpose of attaining our cherished goal of Pakistan.  So I am sending the money to you for the Election Fund, which I hope you will kindly accept.   I am sending you the very notes given to me by Panditjee, and to assure the notes reaching you, I am sending them by insured-registered post.

With my humble wishes and prayers,

I remain, Sir,
Your devoted follower,
GULAMHUSEIN QAWWAL ALIAS TOTTEE

PS. Then notes are inscribed that they were given by Pandit.


PS: As per this Tribune article, Nehru gave a speech at Beawar, Rajasthan on October 23, 1945, where he said,
The cause of communism suffered most at the hands of the Communist Party of India. The role of the Communist Party of India has made nationalist India its opponent. Opposition to the Communist Party of India is not merely political. The whole nation is angry with them.
 Beawar is 55-60 kilometers from Ajmer.

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