THE%20SINDH%20STORY

of Muslim opinion, said: “The communal situation in Sindh, Punjab and Bengal
threatens to assume ugly forms. I want Sindh to have the glory of solving the
Hindu-Muslim problem for the rest of India to follow.” But the ensuing assembly
elections dashed those hopes. The elections returned 24 of Bhutto’s Ittehad Party,
6 of Ghulam Hussain’s Muslim Political Party, 5 of Majid’s Azad Party --- all
Muslims, 9 Congressmen, 3 Europeans, I Labour representative (Naraindas), I
women’s representative (Jethi Sipahimalani) 11 independent Hindus.
But Sir S. N. Bhutto himself was defeated by Sheikh Abdul Majid of the Azad
Party, who campaigned with the Koran on his head as proof that he was a better
Muslim! The governor did not invite Khuhro, the new leader of the Ittehad Party,
to form the government; he invited the old British favourite, Sir Ghulam Hussain
(1878--1948), though he had the support of only five members. Once in the saddle,
Sir Ghulam Hussain was able to put together the majority, like any Bhajan Lal of
present-day Haryana. He won over independent Hindu MLAs by making one of
them Speaker. However, early in 1938, the government fell. Meanwhile Khuhro
had joined the Muslim League and the new Ittehad Party leader, Allah Bux
Soomro, 38, became Premier.
Allah Bux (1900--43) was the finest Premier Sindh ever had. Though a zamindar
and government contractor, he habitually wore Khadi. Immediately on entering
office, he lifted the externment orders on Obaidullah Sindhi (1872--1944), a
Sialkot Sikh who had become a Muslim, a leading revolutionary who had been
vegetating in West Asia. (The Muslim League gave a reception in honour of
Obaidullah. But when they started to chant: “Muslim ho, to Muslim League mein
aao” --- If you are a Muslim, then join the Muslim League --- he walked out in
protest; he was thinking in terms of a”Sindhu Narbada Party”.) He withdrew the
magisterial powers from the Waderas. He followed the Congress line and fixed
500 rupees as minister’s salary. Nominations to local bodies were ended. The
unassuming Allah Bux sat by the side of the driver, never used the official flag
on the car bonnet, never accepted any receptions or parties. In the train he would
use the upper berth -and let others use the more convenient lower berth. On one
occasion when flood-waters threatened Shikarpur, he breached the canal to flood
his own lands --- and saved the city. But above all he was non-communal and
nationalist.
That was reason enough for the communal Muslims to try to topple him. A huge
League conference was held in Karachi in October 1938. Here the League
stalwarts roared against the Hindus, the Congress, and Allah Bux. The
conference set-up was comic-opera, complete with Arab sands, date trees and
horsemen in the Arab head-dress, Iqaal. They even adopted a resolution which
talked of self-determination for the “two nations” of Hindus and Muslims. Pir
Ali Mohammed Rashdi felt that Mohammed Ali Jinnah was indifferent to this
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