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Correspondence with M.A. Jinnah: Muslim League Politics in Punjab

Sub title : Electoral Battles, Unionist Rivalry, and the Struggle for Provincial Control

Date of publication: 1937

Language: English

Page: 128 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27895

Keyword: M.A. Jinnah -- Punjab Muslim League -- Unionist Party -- Sikandar Hayat Khan -- Electoral Violence -- Election Rigging -- Sial Sharif | Shariat Law -- Party Factionalism -- District Muslim Leagues -- Lahore -- Sargodha

Abstract: This collection details the tumultuous political landscape of Punjab, where the Muslim League fought an uphill battle against the entrenched Unionist Party. The documents include a desperate report from the Provincial League Secretary describing Unionist tactics of claiming unopposed candidates and the League's struggle with limited resources and "Unionist spies." The collection vividly captures the violent 1946 elections through telegrams detailing police intimidation, beatings, and property seizures against League supporters. It also covers internal League disputes over council elections, proposals to award pro-League newspapers, and a significant letter from the Sajjada Nashin of Sial Sharif urging Jinnah to implement Shariat Law in the future Pakistan and establish an advisory committee of Ulema.

Description: This compilation offers a critical and granular view of the Muslim League's most challenging provincial front: Punjab. The documents reveal a party organization initially outmatched by the Unionist machine, grappling with defections, espionage, and a demoralized populace. The harrowing telegrams from the 1946 elections serve as raw testimony to the state-backed coercion used against the League. The collection also shows the diverse support base the League eventually built, from grassroots district committees to influential religious figures like the Sajjada Nashin of Sial Sharif, whose letter highlights early ideological expectations for Pakistan. This archive is indispensable for understanding the complex, often violent, political struggle that preceded the creation of Pakistan in its most pivotal province. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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