Prof Suresh Chander
Sirdar Shaukat Hayat Khan’s book The Nation That Lost Its Soul has become some sort of gospel truth for many Indian authors and politicians: Rajendra Sareen, Kuldip Nayar, Saifuddin Soz- (Sardar Patel was adamant, give Kashmir to Pakistan, take Hyderabad. Nehru saved it), Rasheed Kidwai and many more. Saifuddin Soz and Congress made a big issue of it in recent days. His utterings were carried prominently by the Indian press all over the country.
Pakistani Leadership including ZA Bhutto became sore with Liaqat Ali, a Muhajir from UP, for his failure to accept Patel’s offer.
Sirdar Shaukat Hayat Khan in his book, The Nation That Lost Its Soul relates how at a dinner, Lord Mountbatten conveyed a message from Patel. ‘Patel had said that Pakistan could take Kashmir and let go Hyderabad Deccan which had a majority Hindu population and was nowhere near Pakistan by sea or land.’
Hayat Khan goes on to say, ‘After delivering this message, Lord Mountbatten went to sleep in the Lahore Government House. I being overall in-charge of the Kashmir operations went to Liaquat Ali Khan. I suggested to him that as the Indian army had entered Kashmir in force and we would be unable to annex Kashmir with tribal mujahids or even with our inadequate armed forces, we should make haste to accept Patel’s proposal.’
‘Nawabzada (Liaquat Ali Khan) turned round to me and said, “Sirdar Saheb, have I gone mad to give up Hyderabad which is much larger than the Punjab for the sake of the rocks of Kashmir?” I was stunned by the Prime Minister’s reaction and ignorance of our geography and his lack of wisdom. I thought he was living in a fool’s paradise and did not understand the importance of Kashmir to Pakistan while hoping to get Hyderabad, which at best, was only quixotic wishful thinking. It was not connected with Pakistan anywhere. As a protest, I resigned from the position I was holding in Kashmir Operations.’
Justice Muhammad Yusuf Saraf in his book, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 (1947–1978), (P: 604), gives a glimpse of meeting on 12 September 1947, attended by Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan and Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan. His narration:
On 12th September, a preliminary meeting was held at Lahore on the provincial level but the most crucial meeting for the purpose of our story here took place at the Governor House at 6 p.m. with Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan Prime Minister in the chair. It was attended by Mr. Ghulam Muhammad, then Finance Minister, Mian Iftikharud-Din, Mr. M.Z. Kiani, Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan, Nawab of Mamdot, Ch. Mohammad Ali, Mr. Khurshid Anwar and Col. Akbar Khan. In an interview with Professor Muhammad Ishaque Qureshi (acting general secretary of Muslim Conference) told me that he and Ch. Hameedullah Khan (acting President of Muslim Conference) were brought over from Kashmir by two Pakistani intelligence officers and in this meeting he was made to sit outside while Ch Hamidullah was taken in the meeting. In that meeting Ch. Hameedullah was told to inform Ch. Ghulam Abbas Khan (President of MC) of the invasion plan and that a Committee comprising himself, Mr. Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad with Mian Iftikhar-ud-Din as Chairman to be formed and draft a “Declaration of Freedom”. Mr. Kiani’s was a three-tier plan which envisaged (I) preparation of armed bands in Poonch who were to advance upon Srinagar; (2) a network of an underground movement was to be organised in the Valley to rise in revolt at an appropriate hour; and (3) in order to prevent any substantial help from reaching the State from India, the Kathua – Jammu road was to be harassed and disturbed. (This has been verified by an independent source also.)
Khan’s and Saraf’s narrations don’t add up. Liaqat Ali presided over a meeting on 12 September where a detailed plan to annex Jammu and Kashmir was drawn. Sirdar Shaukat Hayat Khan was also present in that meeting. Liaqat Ali would not have chaired this meeting for the sake of the rocks of Kashmir if Khan’s version of a meeting held on 27 October is to be believed. What was Khan’s intention to portray him in poor light? We can only have some wild guess – defaming him for not being from West Pakistan.
Khan used Patel’s shoulder to give authenticity to his story. He succeeded in defaming both Patel and Liaqat Ali.
In his book Patel: A Life, Rajmohan Gandhi writes,
“Vallabhbhai’s lukewarmness about Kashmir had lasted until September 13, 1947. That morning, in a letter to Baldev Singh, he had indicated that “if [Kashmir] decides to join the other Dominion”, he would accept the fact.
His attitude changed later that day when he heard that Pakistan had accepted Junagadh’s accession. If Jinnah could take hold of a Hindu-majority state with a Muslim ruler, why should the Sardar not be interested in a Muslim-majority State with a Hindu ruler? From that day Junagadh and Kashmir, the pawn and the Queen, became his simultaneous concerns. He would wrest the one and defend the other.”
Again two versions don’t add up. Patel having made up his mind to get the Queen (Kashmir) on 13 September 1947 would not have sent the message on 27 October 1947 through Lord Mountbatten: “Pakistan could take Kashmir and let go Hyderabad Deccan.”
Major Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan (1915-1998) was the son of Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, Governor and Premier of United Punjab before 1947. He became increasingly disillusioned by the corruption and dishonesty of politics in Pakistan. The Nation That Lost Its Soul was published in 1995, three years before his death. It is difficult to say whether the book was his revenge against a corrupt and dishonest system or not!
It is left to the readers to form their own opinion.
(The author is former Head of Computer Engineering Department in G B Pant University of Agriculture & Technology)
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