A book review session
Book: Muslims against Muslim League
Speakers Professor Ali Usman Qasmi (Author), Professor Amandeep Bal & Aamir Riaz
In 1947 history had witnessed a huge massacre, horrible migration in South Asia in general but in the British Punjab in perticular. It was a time when British colonial power was ruling in our lands and after Atlantic Charter of 14 August 1941, she was compelled by new super power USA to decolonize its last big colony as early as possible. There is a huge documentary evidence of that pressure. After 1945, US with the help of former USSR had designed a planed cold war between two blocks and every big & small country wanted to make their attendance in it. To give hype to cold war, project of Mccarthyism was there. Massacre on the basis of religion may be an effort by the losers to save their anxieties. Colonizers had to leave and Congress had to accept Pakistan but main responsibility of massacre was on rulers i-e colonizers who used it as an opportunity to take credit for making an Anti communist Islamic country near the border of Red USSR. Interestingly using religion against Communists was an old weapon as recorded by Author of MI6 history Transfer of the population on the basis of religion was neither on the agenda, nor demanded by any party till February 1947. But massacre compelled people to leave their places. It was so sudden that even migrated people thought that it was a temporary thing. On the other hand Congress was against the Punjab due to consistent defeats politically as well as in elections either by Unionists or ML. In 1946 election its performance looks better and it attracted editors/contributors of this book too but facts were far different. Congress got 51 out of 175 seats in 1946 while in 1937 it had 18 seats. It was due to her alliance with one Sikh party and Mahasabhai Hindu Board and if you compare it with 1937 results it was a loser. Last not the least was rise of the Punjab since two decades in politics, education, film,literature, services etc and that is why partition of the Punjab suited many local players too. Calling it partition of India is a fallacy, check data yourself, it was Partition of Punjab. Check Punjab Assembly record and you will realized that majority of Punjabi Muslim lawmakers did not vote in favour of partition of the Punjab, a fact often missed due to opposite reasons by ''wealthy'' scholars.
Due to time, in the talk i could not explain my points yet in this blog am pasting few notes in the end too.
Some Questions
Why Congress failed to attract Muslims living in British India? in general and Punjabis in particular? How misleading Lucknow Pact of 1916 had provoked Muslims of Bengal & the punjab? Why Communists supported Muslim League?
Why Congress rejected Cabinet Mission Plan that was the last option against partition. Two Nation theory was a political reaction of One Nation theory. What was the 3rd option? What was the role of colonizers and US?
Link of the program
Table of the Content
A long introduction & 14 articles. In below at Table of content you can read their names and topics too.
Out of 14, ten papers are on personalities but they missed some important personalities and parties especially Ahrar,and it damaged the book & the work. Inclusion of Tiny rather irrelevant Sindhi & Baluch political actors looks strange. Had they included Mian Fazl e Hussain, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, Mollana Ubaidullah Sindhi, Raja Sahib Mahmoodabad, Mollana Abdul Bari, Ch Afzal Haq, Abul Kalam Azad, Molana Mazhar Ali Azhar, Saifuddin Kitchlow etc it would well represent Muslims against Muslim League. Choice of Ghuffar Khan,Mian Iftiqaruddin, Ch Rehmat Ali, was appreciable but writers could not do justice in spite of information. Articles related to Role of communists too failed to give fresh information & analysis although we have lot of material now. WW2 had created a huge opportunity for resistance movements or parties. Unlike Communist Party of China, the Congress failed to use it. Resignation from ministries may be the first step but reluctant Congress leadership failed to maintain momentum. Subhas Chandar Bose & Mian Iftikharuddin had advised them to develop a national consensus and challenge the Empire but Congress even failed to intact her allies like Ahrar & CPI. Even Mollana Ubaidullah Sindhi had advised Congress to change One Nation theory and accept subcontinent as home of numerous Nations on ethnic grounds so provinces should stand with it but Congress & Jamiat Ulma e Hind did not listen to him. It is to be remembered that the Shift in former USSR position was natural because it was under attack but that shift did not halt or obstruct Chinese revolution at all. Than what happened in British India? It needs a fresh inquiry to check positions, weaknesses and twists of Congress, CPI especially Oxford returned Communists as well as priorities of Communist party of GB. But in more than one articles included in the volume authors failed to address it.
In-spite of all odds, for students of history and political science there are lot of references and debate in it too. The subject is very vast and it needs more attention.
Few Notes from my personal diary
Further links
A thought provoking effort by writers and lyhc.
ReplyDeletethanks
DeleteBook Newspaper And with us.
ReplyDeleteNewspaper Ad Agency in Jalandhar