Connecting minor dots...

One of the small pleasures of this work is the connecting of minor dots.  In this case,  this is about some statement about Pakistan that M.A. Ispahani mentioned in a letter to M.A. Jinnah.

Briefly, in the Second Series, Volume X of Z.R. Zaidi's Jinnah Papers, item #28 is a letter from Ispahani to Jinnah, dated October 23, 1943. An excerpt:

At the last Food Conference in Delhi, Chhotu Ram and Baldev Singh, who attended the Conference on behalf of Punjab would not give in on the point of food supply to Bengal on the question of price. This had a very bad effect, so much so that you must have read in the papers what Lord Hailey had to say about Pakistan.

Unani medicine

Ahmed Husain from Madras, wrote to Jinnah on August 28, 1944 about his work "Principles of Unani Medicine".

Knowing as you do how Hakim Ajmal Khan Sahib in the prime of his effort of reviving unani medicine lost himself by turning a nationalist in good faith of the Gandhian type and shunned the progress of unani.

Ayurveda finds a place in the national life of Hindus whereas unani failed to progress due to neglect of Musalmans.

This is to request you to find time to go through this small book and if you are sufficiently convinced that unani, as science and art of healing, can still serve the people, you may include revival and encouragement of unani in the reconstruction programme of the League.

(from Jinnah papers, Volume XI).

Jinnah's religion-2

#30 of the Jinnah Papers, Volume XI, edited by Z.R. Zaidi, has a letter from a Habib R. Parpia to Jinnah, dated August 10, 1944.   There is no reply from Jinnah in the Jinnah Papers.

 Parpia's letter is an appeal to preserve the unity of India.  Parpia introduces himself as having known Jinnah at the Bombay Bar.   He starts by pointing out some inconsistencies in Jinnah's actions.  His second major point is as follows, and may have some relevance to understanding Jinnah's religious beliefs.  I will reproduce the entire letter some day.

"Another inconsistency of yours, I wish respectfully to draw your attention to, is that when the British in Palestine wish to divide that country between the Arabs and the Jews, you and your League object vehemently.   But you have no scruples to demand the division of India.   Whether Jewish emigration is subsidised or not, the fact remains that there are two nations in Palestine.   On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of the Muslims of India are converts from Hindus and still retain many Hindu customs and ideas.   You and I, with our respective surnames staring us in the face, cannot claim to be very much distinct from the Hindus."

 "I do not know if you remember the occasion about the year 1927 or 1928, when on behalf of a Khoja Jama'at, I, as their solicitor, approached you to introduce a bill in the Central Legislature providing for the application of Muslim law of intestate succession to the Khojas, when you had rightly said you would not do so, as in your opinion, the custom that governed the Khojas was best for them.  Apparently we were not, in your opinion, a separate nation then, and if we were not then a separate nation, we could not become one after a lapse of barely 17 years."

Pakistan is for the elite Muslims to preserve their privileges

Pakistan is being demanded in the name of Muslims so that the present housetop-shouters of Muslim League may enjoy dictatorial rights in the said areas, eat, drink, and be merry and always keep the down-trodden Muslim masses under their heels by frightening them with the slogan of Islam in danger.

So wrote S.M. Rahman to M.A. Jinnah, from Subzi Mandi in Delhi, April 5, 1946.  This letter is included in the Jinnah Papers, Volume XIII (#13), edited by Z.H. Zaidi.  Further excerpts below.

Zamindari and the Muslim League

The following is included in the Jinnah Papers (edited by Z.H. Zaidi, Volume XIII, item #3) - a letter from a Sikh zamindar to M.A. Jinnah.  I suppose it is not an April's Fool joke.  This letter plays into the idea the economic interests of the Muslim landed class is what led them to support the Muslim League.

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.