Proposal to Restore Mughal Authority as a Solution to India's Political Deadlock

Sub title : A Memorandum from the Anjuman-i-Moghlia to the Cabinet Mission and M.A. Jinnah

Subject: Cabinet Mission (1946) | Mughal Restoration | Political Solution | Muslim League | Pakistan

Date of publication: 1946

Language: English

Page: 2.p

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 28496

Keyword: Cabinet Mission 1946 -- Mughal Restoration -- Mirza Abdul Kamil Barias -- Anjuman-i-Moghlia | Sovereignty Transfer -- Political Deadlock -- Muslim Safeguards -- M.A. Jinnah -- Pakistan -- Constitutional Alternative

Abstract: This document is a formal proposal submitted to the British Cabinet Mission in 1946 by Mirza Abdul Kamil Barias, General Secretary of the Anjuman-i-Moghlia (Moghal Association), Punjab, Lahore. It argues that the sovereignty being transferred from the British Crown should rightfully revert to the successors of the Mughal Emperors, who would then exercise authority in consultation with the people on the pattern of British democracy. The author claims this would resolve the political deadlock, uphold British prestige, and provide a neutral, historically legitimate central authority acceptable to all communities. A copy was forwarded to M.A. Jinnah with the note that such a restored Mughal authority could serve as an effective guarantee for Muslim interests if the demand for two separate states (Pakistan and Hindustan) was not met and a single central government was established.

Description: This is a remarkable and unconventional proposal from the twilight of British rule, reflecting the diverse and sometimes archaic political imaginations at play during the transfer of power. It represents a monarchist, historically legitimist alternative to both the Congress's united India and the League's Pakistan, seeking a solution in the revival of a pre-colonial dynasty under a democratic facade. The forwarding of the copy to Jinnah indicates an attempt to influence Muslim League strategy, positioning a restored Mughal authority as a potential safeguard for Muslims within a single Indian union—a clear attempt to address League concerns about Hindu domination. The document highlights the range of ideological options being debated beyond the mainstream binary of Congress and League plans. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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