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from 30 to 400. During this one League year the British officers covered<br />
themselves with infamy, in serving the communal cause.<br />
Justice Weston was appointed to inquire into the Manzilgah riots. When the<br />
Muslim Anjuman blamed the Muslim League for the violence, the judge turned<br />
on them! When the parties and the judge went to examine the Manzilgah site,<br />
Rashdi, the League “counsel”, picked up Weston’s shoes and kept them in the<br />
shade. Weston was thrilled. When they came out, Rashdi again took the shoes<br />
and placed them before Weston. The judge in his excess of joy forgot even<br />
elementary discretion. He now left his car and sat in Rashdi’s car, as the party<br />
drove to Rohri. Rashdi writes in his memoirs that Weston even asked him that<br />
day in the car as to when the Muslims were going to claim Sadhbela. No wonder<br />
Weston in his report blamed the Hindus for the riots. This same partisan judge<br />
was now appointed lo decide about the Manzilgah. And he decided that it was a<br />
mosque! The Manzilgah issue died down --- but not before it had delivered a<br />
body-blow to Hindu-Muslim amity in Sindh.<br />
Allah Bux came back to power. But the British were now bent on seeing him out.<br />
When the “Quit India” movement started, he renounced his old title of Khan<br />
Bahadur and the new one of OBE (Order of the British Empire). He also resigned<br />
from the National Defence Council. The Governor now declared that he had no<br />
confidence in him --- the Assembly’s confidence notwithstanding --- and<br />
dismissed him! A few months later he was murdered in broad daylight, while<br />
going in a tonga in his home-town of Shikarpur. The League minister Khuhro<br />
was arraigned --- but he escaped with the benefit of doubt.<br />
Meanwhile British partiality for the League continued. The 1946 Assembly<br />
elections returned 28 Leaguers, 22 Congressmen, 7 anti-League Muslims, and 3<br />
Europeans were nominated. The 22 Congressmen and the 7 anti-League Muslims<br />
had formed an alliance. They were one more than the League. But the Governor,<br />
Sir Francis Mudie, installed a League ministry and asked the 3 nominated<br />
Europeans to support it!<br />
Even then, with a Leaguer elected Speaker, the League was reduced to 29 in a<br />
house of 60. But the Governor would not call the Assembly session. On top of<br />
that, when Mir Bundeh Ali Khan Talpur quit the League, the Governor sent his<br />
secretary to him, asking him to rejoin the League on promise of a ministership.<br />
When the Assembly had to be called to elect Sindh’s representatives to the<br />
Constituent Assembly, the Governor adjourned the House on the very day that it<br />
was scheduled to take up the no-confidence motion. His excuse was that the<br />
Assembly, called to elect members to the Consembly, could not conduct any<br />
other business. Interestingly enough, at the same time, the British Governor of<br />
the Punjab allowed the Punjab Assembly to take up the motion of no-confidence<br />
The Sindh Story; Copyright © www.panhwar.com<br />
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