Sikh-JInnah meeting - 1946

Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed writes in the Daily Times:

 In a meeting in May 1947 sponsored by Lord Mountbatten to help the Muslims and Sikhs reach an agreement on keeping Punjab united, Jinnah offered the Sikhs all the safeguards they wanted if they agreed to support Pakistan. Only in March 1947 some 2,000-10,000 Sikhs — depending on who you cite — were butchered in the Rawalpindi rural areas so the Sikhs were very wary of Jinnah’s overtures. Chief Minister of Patiala Hardit Singh Malik writes he had an inspiration and asked Jinnah: “Sir you are making all the promises but God forbid if something happens to you, what will happen then?” The exact words Jinnah used in reply will be revealed in my forthcoming book, but the reasoning was that his followers will treat his words as sacred. 

I believe Professor Ahmed is wrong in his date. May 1947 is in any case too late.  I have not yet found any trace of this Mountbatten-sponsored meeting in the Transfer of Power papers for May 1947.   I believe the Jinnah-Sikh leaders' meeting was April 2, 1946. Jinnah there promised them the world.

Index: Jinnah's religious beliefs

The following posts on this blog relate to Jinnah's personal religious beliefs.

1. Jinnah's religion - 1 : A collection of material from Aamir Mughal.
2. Jinnah's religion - 2 : Jinnah and a Khoja solicitor, 1927 or 1928.
3. Jinnah's religion - 3 : The dispute over the inheritance laws applicable to Jinnah's estate
4. Jinnah's religion - 4 : Jinnah on his sect's beliefs, 1917.
5. Jinnah's religion - 5 : Khaled Ahmed from The Friday Times, 2010
6. Jinnah's religion - 6 : 1998 rediff.com article on Jinnah's religion
7. Jinnah's religion - 7 :  MQM leader Altaf Hussain's claims about Jinnah's religion
8. Jinnah's religion - 8 :  Jaswant Singh's description of Khojas.
9. Jinnah's religion - 9 : Jinnah annoyed by being termed "Muslim renegade"

Jinnah's activities as a Mahomedan politician 1913-1915

Based on

The Works of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Volume II (1913-1916)

Editor: Dr. Riaz Ahmad

Quaid-i-Azam University, 1996

and

All India Muslim League Vol I

Encyclopedia of Political Party Series

Editor-in-Chief O.P. Ralhan

Anmol Publications, 1997

March 22, 1913 - Jinnah at the annual session of the All India Muslim League, succeeded in getting its constitution to ask for self-government for India on lines suitable to India's special needs, instead of self-government for India on colonial lines (as Mazharul Haque pushed for).

October 1913 - Jinnah joined the All India Muslim League

December 20, 1913 - Presidential address at the Anjuman-i-Islam, Bombay