Internal Leadership Struggle: Sind Muslim League Factions Appeal to M.A. Jinnah

Sub title : A Letter with Supporting Signatures and a Counter-List Opposing M.A. Khuhro

Subject: Sind Muslim League Factionalism | Provincial Leadership Election | Opposition to M.A. Khuhro Formation

Date of publication: 1946

Language: English

Page: 3p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27942

Keyword: M.A. Jinnah -- Sind Muslim League -- M.A. Khuhro -- Leadership Election | Assembly Party -- Karachi 1946 -- Provincial Ministry Formation | Factionalism -- K.H. Gazder -- Mahmood Abdoola Haroon -- Signatures -- Petition.

Abstract: This captures an intense internal leadership contest within the Sind Muslim League Assembly Party in December 1946. is a cover letter to Quaid-e-Azam M.A. Jinnah from a leadership candidate (name redacted), enclosing "20 signatures of the Muslim League Members of the Sind Assembly" proposing him as Leader. The writer explicitly asks Jinnah, who is "deciding the whole question of formation of Ministry," to consider these members' views. Page 2 is the attached list, bearing ten signatures (including prominent figures like K.H. Gazder, Mrs. Allana, and Mahmood Abdoola Haroon), which explicitly states its purpose: "We... oppose that Mr. M. A. Khuhro be elected the Leader of the Party." Page 3 is a separate, partially completed document titled "We propose... as Leader of the Sind Legislative Assembly Party,"

Description: This collection is a striking example of the behind-the-scenes political jockeying within the Muslim League as it transitioned from a movement to a governing party. The direct appeal to Jinnah at his "Camp Karachi" underscores his position as the ultimate party patriarch, whose approval was essential for any provincial leadership role. The existence of a formal, signed petition opposing the influential M.A. Khuhro reveals deep divisions within the Sind League. The accompanying, unfinished "proposal" document suggests multiple candidates were mobilizing support. Together, these pages provide a raw, unfiltered look at democratic (or factional) processes at work within the League's parliamentary wing. They highlight a critical aspect of Jinnah's leadership: managing often fractious provincial politics to maintain a united front for the final push toward Pakistan. This is primary evidence of the complex political terrain Jinnah navigated in the months preceding Independence. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

Total Views: 56        Favorites : 0