My Pakistan Diary: The Feudal

Nakhok Various


Trained Historian (pray tell what this creature is) or not.... I can read English...Unlike you I am not basing my analysis on one`s own limited understanding of one op ed in Dawn. The truth as is clear by the aforementioned source is that your claim about Suhrawardy being restricted to move between Pakistan and India is nothing but hogwash. So instead of taking this personally, and resorting to personal attacks learn to be humble and tolerate the opposing point of view.

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A complete record of Suhrawardy`s `Peace Initiative` correspondence with Jinnah, Gandhi, and Mountbatten...

US NATIONAL ARCHIVES 845.00/11-2847


You will find Suhrawardy shuttling back and forth between India and Pakistan freely.

-YLH

#135 by mantolives

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so Banglapedia is the gospel of the truth, and US National Archives are lying???
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So, Banglapedia is lying, and Mantolives` inferences from foreign archives must be accepted as the gospel???

Regardless of Mantolives` contempt for things Bangladeshi, I would consider Bangladeshi sources to be the more authentic sources on Suhrawardy than any other foreign source. And I see no reason to even imagine that a professor of history at Dhaka University will lie. And furthermore, I don`t see why the DAWN would carry an article in 2003 confirming that Suhrawardy was indeed physically prevented from entering Pakistan on the plea that he was a traitor.

Mantolives is trying to associate a Lahore postal address with Suhrawardy for October 1947. This was at a time when Suhrawardy was being physically stopped from entering into Pakistan (as the DAWN article has affirmed even in 2003). There can be a lot of explanations for the address. For example, it may have been deemed politically expedient to associate a Lahore postal address to Suhrawardy at a time when he was being barred from entering Pakistan. I don`t think Mantolives has the professional expertise to evaluate the evidence and come to the right conclusion from archival materials he is claiming to have examined. Nor should Mantolives assume that Prof. Sirajul Islam, a historian by profession, hasn`t come across any archival evidence that Mantolives claims to be privy to.

Mantolives has to be terribly egotistic and conceited to assume that the world must accept his inferences rather than the facts as stated by a leading history professor from Bangladesh. In fact, not even objective Pakistanis will give much credence to Mantolives - that is why a DAWN article, even in 2003, didn`t hesitate to acknowledge that Suhrawardy was barred by Pakistani authorities from entering Pakistan.

In fact, Mantolives` name-calling itself is a dead give away. When he screams ``Have you no shame``, it is a dead give away that he is trying to hide his lack of facts and logic with bluster. He is hoping that screaming and name-calling will intimidate those that don`t see his ``facts`` as the gospel. In fact, when I first tried to ignore his rude and dishonest rantings, Mantolives quickly declared ``victory` on the ground that I hadn`t replied. And now he is complaining about my multiple posts!!

Well, Mantolives is right in a way. I lack the desire to stoop down to his level of name-calling. Nor do I want to argue with a person who gives vent to his anti-Bangladeshi prejudices by accusing Prof. Sirajul Islam of lying.

Uncle Dost Mittar,

That is precisely what happened and what I have been saying all along... Suhrawardy was indeed shuttling back and forth between `Mamdot Villa` in Lahore of Nawab Mamdot and Birla House in Dehli. Often times he was a contact between the `Quaid-e-Azam` on the side and `Mahatma` on the other. I quoted out of US National Archives to prove exactly this. Somehow `US National Archives` are now supposed to represent only my opinion.

Nakhok`s claim was quite different and sinister based on an official re-imagining of history by the Awami League in Bangladesh. I still don`t understand the relevance of this discussion to the article... but I don`t have time to work out some esoteric logic. I am just putting up the facts as they are.

-YLH

nakhok, manto:
Could it be that both of you are telling part of the truth? I did some googling and found the complete diary of Mahatma Gandhi for 1947. Here is the link:
http://www.gandhiserve.org/information/chronology_1947/chronology_1947.html

It shows that Gandhi met Suhrawardy in August, Septemeber as well as November 1947. Now, it nowhere says that Suhrawardy was actually living in India at that time; it is quite conceivable that he was shuttling between the two countries during that volatile period.

The answer to the question as to what the ``mighty last prime minister of United Bengal`` was doing in Lahore and Karachi?


Terence Shone, British High Commissioner to India reports in his `note on meeting H S Suhrawardy` :

(Dated 10th October 1947)

``Mr Jinnah and Mr Liaquat Ali Khan always assumed that Suhrawardy would become the Prime Minister of Eastern Pakistan. Nazimuddin’s success was a complete shock to the Pakistan Ministers and Suhrawardy…. On 26th August Suhrawardy received a message from Mr. Jinnah asking him to become Ambassador at large for the Governor General of Pakistan with the idea of telling the world about Pakistan. No other position could be offered to Suhrawardy as in anticipation of his success as the leader of East Pakistan, Mr. Jinnah had filled his cabinet.

When he went to Karachi towards end of September , the question of his appointment to the Pakistan Central Government was raised. From various quarters it was suggested that he should succeed Suhrawardy succeed Liaquat Ali Khan as the Prime Minister``

Nakhok,


Ah... so posting multiple posts will prove your point.... so Banglapedia is the gospel of the truth, and US National Archives are lying??? Oh I forgot, US National Archives is on Pakistan Government`s Payroll...



Once again let me repeat post

US NATIONAL ARCHIVES 845.00/11-2847

More on Suhrawardy’s correspondence

On 21st September 1947 Suhrawardy wrote 6 letters 5 to Gandhi and 1 to Mountbatten. (Address was Mamdot Villa Davis Road Lahore

On 22nd September 1947 he wrote 2 letters 1 to Jinnah , 1 to Gandhi

(The address for the letter to Gandhi was On Plane Lahore to Karachi and for the letter to Jinnah Palace Hotel Karachi )


In these letters he wrote down his plan for peace initiative which then resulted in his voluntary departure to Calcutta where he launched his peace initiative. The letters also speak of his deep seated loyalty to Pakistan and the Quaid-e-Azam as well as his desire for peace. Quite contrary to the view being put up here by Nakhok.



I also quote from the notes of Terence Shone the British High Commissioner dated 10th October 1947 (P.R.O, D.O 142/420) :

The note’s subject is : Record of a Meeting with H.S Suhrawardy

“Mr Jinnah and Mr Liaquat Ali Khan always assumed that Suhrawardy would become the Prime Minister of Eastern Pakistan. Nazimuddin’s success was a complete shock to the Pakistan Ministers and Suhrawardy…. On 26th August Suhrawardy received a message from Mr. Jinnah asking him to become Ambassador at large for the Governor General of Pakistan with the idea of telling the world about Pakistan. No other position could be offered to Suhrawardy as in anticipation of his success as the leader of East Pakistan, Mr. Jinnah had filled his cabinet.

When he went to Karachi towards end of September , the question of his appointment to the Pakistan Central Government was raised. From various quarters it was suggested that he should succeed Suhrawardy succeed Liaquat Ali Khan as the Prime Minister.”


These were the views of Suhrawardy as explained by Terrence Shone…


Now for Nakhok’s blighted version of history to be true, the US National Archives, the British High Commission and Suhrawardy himself should be lying. Only something called Banglapedia is telling the truth…. God save us from such distortion of history.

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The only one who is lying here is you Nakhok.


-YLH

#114 by dost-mittar

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This happened in August 1947 and he probably left for Pakistan after the calm was restored in Septemeber or October to try his luck there.
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When Suhrawardy tried to enter Pakistan, he was physically prevented from doing so under the pretext that he was a traitor. This is a well kinown fact. And I have already cited a recent (2003) DAWN article in its support.

I have also cited the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh to prove that Suhrawardy`s membership to the Constituent Assembly was terminated in 1949 by the Liaqat Ali Khan government under the pretext that he was not a permanent resident of the country.

Mantolives claims that he can associate a Lahore postal address to Suhrawardy by October of 1947. At a time when Suhrawardy was being physically prevented from moving into Pakistan, it is easy to think of reasons why it might have been politically expedient to associate a Lahore postal address with him. But that doesn`t prove a thing. Mantolives is not a trained historian. He is not qualified to decipher its significance. But, at the least, he ought to ponder over how gullible one needs to be to believe that the last Prime Minister of Bengal would camp in Lahore on the morrow of partition instead of in East Pakistan or in Karachi.

Prof. Sirajul Islam, unlike Mantolives, is a professional historian - he is a professor of history at Dhaka University. He is also the Chief Editor of Banglapedia - the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. I would rather believe Prof. Sirajul Islam`s unequivocal statement rather than inferences and conjectures by Mantolives.

As a trained historian, Prof. Sirajul couldn`t possibly have been unaware of any public information on Suhrawardy to which Mantolives might be privy to. Prof. Sirajul Islam has stated unequivocally that Suhrawardy`s membership to the Constituent Assembly was terminated by the Liaqat Ali Khan government in 1949 under the pretext that he was not a permanent resident of Pakistan. And I see no legitimate reason to doubt that. How can Suhrawardy possibly be accused of not being a permanent resident of Pakistan if he had indeed resided in Lahore since October of 1947?

And anyway, Mantolives must first explain why he finds it credible that the last Prime Minister of Bengal would camp in Lahore in the morrow of partition instead of in East Pakistan or in Karachi.

In fact, not even Mantolives believes this fairy tale. That much is clear from his invectives and name-callings. When logic and facts failed Mantolives, he had to either admit his mistake or try to bluff his way out with bluster. Unfortunately, he chose the latter.

And when I ignored Mantolives` rude and dishonest rantings, he promptly declared ``victory``. Needless to say, I am not impressed. But at the same time I don`t see why I have to stoop down to his level of invectives and name-callings. Mantolives is wrong and he knows that. I see no reason to waste my time refuting his ``facts``.

# 123 By Harimau

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Well, it is not a question of what Suhrawardy wanted his personal fiefdom to be or what Jinnah wanted the Partition of India to be.

It is a question of whst the people wanted.
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Prof. Sirajul Islam (professor of history at Dhaka University and Chief Editor of Banglapedia : National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh) describes the situation as follows:

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Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
September 4, 2003

Politics and politicians of the partition era
By Sirajul Islam

..... An independent Bengal case could have been really forcefully presented, had it been a product of the secular principles of politics. With 51% Muslim and 49% Hindu populations, Bengal could remain united only under a secular politics, which eroded beyond repair through communal politics of the last decade. Suhrawardy established the Muslim League in Bengal and organised Muslim nationalism in Bengal. He organised the movement to overthrow the Hindu-Muslim coalition ministry of Fazlul Huq. A K Fazlul Huq`s second ministry could have been used as a giant step forward towards a united independent Bengal eventually. But what role Suhrawardy played then? Animated by Jinnah, the Suhrawardy faction launched a relentless resistance movement to wreck the coalition ministry. The election campaigns of 1946, which Suhrawardy led, articulated the idea of a single independent Pakistan, though not so openly. Jinnah`s communally charged Direct Action directive was faithfully executed by Suhrawardy though its political utility for Bengal was questionable. Suhrawardy`s role in wrecking the Hindu-Muslim coalition Ministry of Fazlul Huq and in the events of Great Calcutta Killing and countrywide communal riots in the wake of his Direct Action programme had almost totally alienated him from the Hindu community and sealed all prospects of any Hindu-Muslim accord on the question of independent Bengal. .....

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Here`s how Prof. Sirajul Islam contrasts Jinnah`s attitude toward Nazimuddin and Suhrawardy:

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Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
September 4, 2003

Politics and politicians of the partition era
By Sirajul Islam

[Prof. Sirajul Islam is professor of history at Dhaka University]

..... H S Suhrawardy aspired to be the sole caption of the Bengal ship after the fall of Fazlul Huq. But he had the Nazimuddin faction to obstruct him. Thus Suhrawardy tried to win Jinnah`s favour by demonstrating his ability as an organiser. But to the Great Leader, organising ability was the secondary consideration for bestowing his favour. His primary consideration was ensuring sustainable loyalty to the High Command, which he always suspected from Suhrawardy. Unwavering loyalty was sure to come from Khawaja Nazimuddin, who thus consistently received support from the leader. Though Suhrawardy never showed any disrespect or disloyalty to Jinnah, and though it was he who took the Muslim League to mass level, Jinnah never took him into confidence. He was never taken into the Central Working Committee of the League, even after he became the Prime Minister of Bengal by his own right. .....

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Here`s how Prof. Sirajul Islam describes Jinnah`s visceral dislike for Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Huq:

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Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
September 4, 2003

Politics and politicians of the partition era
By Sirajul Islam

[Prof. Sirajul Islam is professor of history at Dhaka University]

..... While Prime Minister AK Fazlul Huq tried to stand on his own feet politically, Jinnah set all other actions against him. He was forced to resign from his first ministry (1941) and then from his second ministry (1943). In the wake of Huq`s resignation from his second ministry, Jinnah remarked gleefully, ``...today Fazlul Huq is no more, and I hope for the rest of his life he will be no more.... He has met his Waterloo`` (p. 17). The statement was indeed a warning to other leaders to behave. .....

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Mantolives is livid with rage because Banglapedia, the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, is not in keeping with his ``beliefs`` on Suhrawardy. Mantolives cannot possibly reason and think logically as long as he chooses to be in rage.

For the rest, I would like to point out that the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh is a publication of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. The Chief Editor of the Banglapedia, Professor Sirajul Islam is a Professor of History at the Dhaka University. Unlike Mantolives, Prof. Sirajul Islam has the professional training to look objectively at historical documents. I would trust directly stated facts in the Banglapedia on Suhrawardy rather than Mantolive`s ``inferences``.

It is upto Mantolives to provide a rational explanation why Suhrawardy, the last Prime Minister of Bangladesh, would camp in Lahore on the morrow of independence instead of in East Pakistan or even Karachi. As it happens, Suhrawardy was left cooling his heels in India when denied entry into Pakistan because Pakistan`s ruling elite had dubbed him a traitor. I have already cited an article regarding this. And, no, that article wasn`t from the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. It was from a 2003 article published in DAWN, Karachi. But, then, Matolives is in rage. He`ll not believe DAWN articles either.

Mantolives is not a professional historian. But rage has led him to insist that the world must concur with his inferences alone and no one else`s, least of all of a Bangladeshi historian or even of a DAWN columnist!!

#127 by harimau

``...leading a victory parade down Bunder Road after the military conquest of Pakistan and anschluss with India.`` Surely, you woudn`t ``

I knew what you meant. But then what is wrong with that?
I am not in favor of borders either.

Do you have balls?

Mantolives has based his diatribes on his ``belief`` that National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh cannot possibly be right, especially if it has facts not in keeping with Mantolive`s beliefs. So it doesn`t matter to him that the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh has very clearly documented that the Liaqat Ali Khan government had Suhrawardy`s membership in the National Assemly terminated in 1949 on the ground that he was not a permanent resident of Pakistan. Mantolives is hell-bent on ``believing`` that reference sources on Suhrawardy must necessarily be less than authentic if it is from Bangladesh!!!

And it is just not a question of pouring scorn over the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Mantolives has decided not to be swayed by the 2003 article published in Karachi`s DAWN (paper founded by Jinnah) that I had cited. It very clearly states that Suhrawardy was denied entry into Pakistan on the ground that he was a traitor.

Most importantly, Mantolive has not explained why Suhrawardy, the last Prime Minister of Bengal, would be camping in Lahore on the morrow of independence instead of in East Pakistan or even in Karachi. As it happens, Suhrawardy was left cooling his heels in India when denied entry into Pakistan because Pakistan`s ruling elite had dubbed him a traitor.

For whatever reason, Mantolives is taking this a bit too personally. Just because the DAWN and the National Encyclopedia were not in keeping with ``facts`` that he would like to promote, he has taken to name-calling - ``Have you no shame .... etc. etc.``

Mantolives has engaged in a lot of name-calling. For whatever reason he has taken it very personally to the point of screaming rudely and dishonestly. And, then, he has triumphantly declared ``victory`` because I didn`t think it worthwhile to continue arguing with someone who wouldn`t even believe a DAWN article, let alone the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh.

And, yes, I have no intention of getting into a name-calling contest with someone like Mantolives who is hell-bent on being obnoxious because published facts don`t gel with ``beliefs`` he wants to promote.

Ref HP #125

[#124 by harimau

“then you may not like his conditions for returning to Karachi... such as leading a victory parade down Bunder Road.”

Basically harimau! You are petty!

There is not a Sindhi in Pakistan who would not welcome L.K Advani. I would love to be in the parade he leads at Bundar Road, victory or not. I may not agree with his politics but I do admire him for his achievements in India. Do a search on Sindh and you will come across some sindhi site (Pakistani) that have his pictures displayed proudly.]

Perhaps I didn`t make myself very clear. I meant ``...leading a victory parade down Bunder Road after the military conquest of Pakistan and anschluss with India.`` Surely, you woudn`t want that?

I certainly wouldn`t!

Correction:

``How many Indians can even say his last correctly? I know I can.``

Read

How many Indians can even say his last NAME correctly? I know I can.

#124 by harimau

“then you may not like his conditions for returning to Karachi... such as leading a victory parade down Bunder Road.”

Basically harimau! You are petty!

There is not a Sindhi in Pakistan who would not welcome L.K Advani. I would love to be in the parade he leads at Bundar Road, victory or not. I may not agree with his politics but I do admire him for his achievements in India. Do a search on Sindh and you will come across some sindhi site (Pakistani) that have his pictures displayed proudly.

Btw, He is from Hyderabad Sindh. A street in Hyderabad still bears his family name. There may be some of his family members still in Hyderabad.
How many Indians can even say his last correctly? I know I can.
Get a grip.