Sunday, April 21, 2002		Feedback

The ugly truth about Partition

THIS refers to the letters published on April 7 in response to my article "The ugly truth about Partition," carried in your paper (March 24).

Gurmeet Singh contends that while discussing the Lahore Resolution (the Pakistan Resolution), I ought to have mentioned Jinnah’s article on the resolution published later in Modern Review in which Jinnah tried to pacify the Sikhs in order to enlist their support for his scheme of partitioning the country. The scope of my article was entirely different. It was intended to analyse the circumstances and the factors that had led to the passing of the Lahore resolution. The Sikhs did not figure in Jinnah’s calculations at this stage.

Jinnah continued to assure the Sikhs after they raised their voice against the Lahore Resolution. In this connection he met even the Maharaja of Patiala and Giani Kartar Singh. Penderel Moon and Major Short also mediated to reconcile the Sikhs to Jinnah’s plan but wisely they did not allow themselves to be trapped by Jinnah’s sinister designs. Otherwise Jinnah would have swallowed the whole Punjab.

I am glad that K.J.S. Ahluwalia has pointed out the error I had committed in giving March 24, 1940 as the date when the Pakistan Resolution was passed. According to him the actual date of the Lahore Resolution is March 23 which is celebrated as Pakistan Day.

Let me state the facts. The annual session of the Muslim League started at Lahore on March 21 1940. On March 22, the Pakistan Resolution was put up for the first time in the Muslim League Working Committee which held its meeting till evening. The resolution was discussed in the Subject Committee the whole night until dawn the next day, and some amendments were made. On March 23 the Subject Committee resumed its discussions and held three meetings which ended in the morning. In the opening session on March 24 1940, in the afternoon with Jinnah in the Chair, the resolution was moved by Fazlul Haq and seconded by Khaliquzzam.

V.N. DUTTA,
New Delhi

Apropos of the article "Ways to combat plague" (March 24) by B.K. Sharma, I have the following comments to make.

The actual diagnosis, of the outbreak of plague in Himachal was made by doctors of the Department of Medicine, IGMC, Shimla, and not by the PGI as has been reported, in the Press. Doctors at the PGI could have saved more patients had they suspected the diseases in the beginning.

L.S. PAL, Prof & Head, Deptt of Medicine,
IGMC, Shimla

I read "The reasons why the boss is always in a meeting" by Mohinder Singh (March 17) with interest. It is an admitted fact that behind every efficient execuitve, there is an efficient personal staff. One excuse which is commonly conveyed to a caller on phone is that the boss has gone to attend a court case. It all depends on the efficient personal staff for making the best excuse.

HARISH K. MONGA,
Ferozepore