From: Usman Khalid [mailto:usmankhalid@lisauk.com]
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 12:12 PM
The 1940 Resolution: Indian Propaganda and the Truth
The Press Release of Jiye Sindh Mahaz is pure propaganda the source of which is the Indian Intelligence Agency – RAW. Your credibility suffers when you circulate Indian propaganda.
Pakistan was not created by its provinces signing a contract as the Press Release mischievously suggests, it is the product of the struggle by the Muslims of British India for a homeland comprising areas – provinces, parts of provinces and princely states - where the Muslims were in majority. The British had accepted that the Muslims were a separate nation as early as 1905 thus making the Two Nation theory the foundation of the political order upon British exit. But the Hindus had been insisting that: 1) all citizens of British India were one nation; 2) since democracy is majority rule, the British should hand over power to the Congress Party that represented the nation and leave; 3) that the untouchables who were 65% of the population, who are not Hindu as they are not even allowed to enter Hindu temples, should be counted as Hindus because Gnadhiji had embraced them by living in Bhanghi colonies (slums outside all towns where the untouchables were condemned to live under strict apartheid).
The Muslim leaders pointed out that India was not a country but an empire brought together and ruled by Muslims for 800 years followed by the British creating an empire which was a patchwork of provinces and states over a hundred years from 1757 to 1857. They demanded that the principle of ‘majority rule’ should be applied to every province and princely state separately. The wording of the 1940 Resolution, called the Pakistan Resolution, reflects that demand. Since the land (state land) belonged to the province or the princely state, many Muslims as well as non-Muslims were opposed to territorial partition of the provinces. The 1940 Resolution, therefore, embraces both situations: 1) the Punjab, Bengal and Assam not being partitioned and all provinces and princely states of British India to inherit sovereignty before they decided to pool it to make a Muslim majority Pakistan and Hindu majority India; 2) the three provinces with nearly equal number of Muslims and non Muslims to be partitioned and a Muslim majority Pakistan set up from the outset. The Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946 was based on the first situation. India was visualised to be a federation of three groups of provinces one Hindu in the middle and two Muslim – one in the West and the other in the East comprising Bengal and Assam. The Cabinet Mission Plan was accepted by the Muslim League as well as the Congress Party. Then, Pandit Nehru announced that any commitment made prior to hand over of power would not be binding on the new Constituent Assembly.
Realising that the Congress Party was neither willing to give sovereignty to the provinces or to Muslim majority groups of provinces, it was unacceptable to leave the matter to the discretion of a future assembly where the Hindus were to be in overwhelming majority. The Muslim leadership rejected the Cabinet Mission Plan and British India was partitioned on the basis of the Two Nation Theory with Muslim majority areas becoming Pakistan. However, the British, being British, left two problems that have kept India and Pakistan locked into hostility and India in turmoil. The first problem is over Jammu and Kashmir created by last British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten who conspired with Indian Prime Minister - Pandit Nehru - to rob the Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir its wish to join Pakistan and facilitate the occupation of the bulk of it by the Indian Army. The other problem relates to the indigenous peoples of – the tribal peoples and the untouchables. They are 65% of the population of India; they are not Hindus but are annexed by Hinduism just as imperial powers annexed territories. The Leader of the Muslims- Mohammed Ali Jinnah – wanted the principle of majority rule to the provinces and separate electorate to all the peoples of British India for the sake of the untouchables repressed by the high castes over thousands of years and liberated only by embracing Islam or Christianity.
India is interested in misrepresenting the nature and the intent of the1940 Resolution for two reasons: 1) it wants the outlook of Pakistanis to be ethnicised and the role of Islam as its unifying polity undermined; 2) the indigenous peoples of India who see Pakistan as their role model may be dissuaded from embracing Pakistan for help citing the example of alienation of the Sindhis and Baloch. It is indeed a big challenge for Pakistan to guard its sovereignty against the many threats it faces; liberate Jammu and Kashmir; and be a source of inspiration and help to those who suffer apartheid and denial of the right of national self determination in India.
Usman Khalid
Director London Institute of South Asia
From: AHRC [mailto:listadmin@ahrchk.net]
Sent: 04 December 2009 04:27
To: usmankhalid@lisauk.com
Subject: [AHRC Forwarded Statement] PAKISTAN: Sindh and the Right of Self Determination
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Dear friends,
We wish to share with you the following statement from Jeay Sindh Mahaz.
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
-------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-FST-090-2009
December 4, 2009
A Statement from Jeay Sindh Mahaz forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
PAKISTAN: Sindh and the Right of Self Determination
As we all know that Pakistan is not a naturally grown country, rather a man-made state that came into existence through a contract between different people. And that contract, everyone knows, is the 1940 Lahore resolution; also called the Pakistan resolution.
In civilized world, for different peoples to live together, a social contract happens to be the guiding and binding force. And to work together, make progress and live in peace and harmony that social contract is mandatory to be followed while in a country like Pakistan that itself came into existence through a contract, strict compliance to this social contract becomes even more important and necessary.
But regretfully, it is to be said that the Pakistani state has traversed in wrong direction since day one. In fact the story of Pakistan is a story of violations, breaches, and betrayals. The first and foremost violation came with regard to the ‘Pakistan Resolution’ of 1940 when the new state was created as per 1935 India Act. After few days that (1935) Act also stood violated. 1956 constitution was imposed arbitrarily wherein, negating all the arithmetic of the world, 54 percent population was made equal to 46 percent. Only after two years this ‘holy book’ was also buried thanks to the first of the many Martial Laws the country has seen. Designed to suit the whims and wishes of a general, the so-called constitution of 1962 was enforced only to be scrapped with the help of second Martial law. At this stage the most motivated and freedom-loving nation of the subcontinent, the Bengalis, decided that ‘enough is enough’ and an independent count ry of Bangladesh came into being.
On the other hand, a unilateral declaration of coining ‘New Pakistan’ was made without consulting the national units (Sindhis, Balochs and Pakhtoons) who had originated the ‘Old Pakistan’. In the new constitution (1973) of the new Pakistan, new promises were made though this was the most centripetal of all the constitutions through which all the rights of the federating units were usurped in the name of centre. No need to say that from day one the state of Pakistan has been dominated and monopolized by Punjab, so the 1973 constitution strengthened Punjab’s hold, in the name of centre, over the rights and resources of Sindh, Balochistan and Pakhtoonkhawa. Even this constitution was changed and altered, by civil and military dictators, as frequently as they would change the servants of their house. The biggest violation that comes in the range of a betrayal, committed during Pakistan’s life was when the very identity of the national units, to whom this country owes its existence, was erased in the name of national solidarity.
In short it can be said that the arbitrary, dictatorial and domineering mode of governance has rendered Sindh to the status of a colony and Pakistani has been turned into a colonial state, the way Britain ruled India.
All the natural resources and the sources of income of Sindh have been appropriated by the central government, every possible action is taken to wipe out Sindhi Language, culture and history, the process of bringing people from other provinces and other countries and settling them in Sindh to convert Sindhis into minority on their own soil and keep them in permanent subjugation is underway through state patronage in the same way as the occupying forces did in Palestine, Fiji, Northern Ireland and Western Sahara. And the most importantly Sindh’s political autonomy and the will & decisions of Sindhi people have been thrown in the mud. The status and standing of Sindh Assembly is lower even to that of the local council of a sovereign and democratic state and the laws and resolutions passé by this assembly have been thrown in dustbin like tissue paper by the little people sitting in the big houses of Islamabad. The Capital City Karachi has been made, for all prac tical purposes, a no-go-area for Sindhis. The writ aid control of Sindh government over the institutions based in Karachi is zero and in order to get education, employment and abode in Karachi, the indigenous people are made to seek certificate from those coming here as refugees.
An idea of the status of Sindh and the authority of Sindhi People in the state of Pakistan can be had from the statement of Sindh’s elected Chief Minister where-in he said that Sindh gives country 67% of the revenue but we have to beg from the central government for every small thing. On raising voice for the restitution of their rights sindhis were branded anti-state and anti-islam. Some rulers ridiculed their culture by declaring it as that of camel and donkey graziers, while others called them uneducated and ignorant.
This situation can only be described as nothing but colonialism and colonialism is neither acceptable nor bearable to sindhis in any case, at any cost. In fact for their national emancipation Sindhis have made great sacrifices and paid heavy prices and are ready and willing to do so again. During their 5000-year long history Sindh has been occupied many a time but sindhi people have never surrendered to the fate. We struggled against the British colonialism and servitude not for becoming subjugated by their lackeys. We don’t want to live as beggars and dependants. We are ready and willing to live with all the nations as equals and as partners.
On the other hand the state of Pakistan, owing to continuous breaking of promises and consistent violations of the (social) contracts, its arbitrary, dictatorial and domineering way of governance and its colonial character, has lost legal political and moral justification to rule over Sindh and sindhis. Now we are being ruled on the force of gun. Twenty first century is the century of peace, freedom and equality. Hence it is time to change the colonial structure of Pakistani state and end its imperialistic role-character.
Sindh is not an occupied territory. Sindh had opted to join Pakistan on the basis of 1940 Lahore Resolution, with its free will where-in it was unequivocally declared that Constituents Units shall be sovereign and autonomous. Sindh had decided to share its sovereignty with the neighbouring nations of the region in order to work jointly for peace, equality, progress and prosperity in Sindh, in Pakistan, in the region and in the world as whole. But the 62 years rule has resulted in war, terrorism, inequality, discrimination, domination, exploitation, poverty, beggary and national insult. Therefore, Sindhi People want to restitute and reestablish their sovereignty so that they can be able to decide their destiny with their free will. Jeay Sindh Mahaz considers it their foremost duty and historical responsibility to stand by Sindhi People in their struggle to achieve this goal. Hence Jeay Sindh Mahaz and its workers pledge to expend all their time, all their abilities, all their energies and all their resources to help Sindhi People get and use their universality recognized inalienable right of self determination.
At the same time we call upon the democratic and progressive people from Punjab to break their silence and strengthen our voice as in a Pakistan-like multinational country national question happens to be the prime question of democracy. Also we hope and expect that peace-loving, humanist, secular, progressive and enlightened people of the world would extend their political and moral support to our cause.
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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. The above statement has only been forwarded by the AHRC.
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