Correspondence between M.A. Jinnah and A.K. Fazlul Haq on Hindu-Muslim Unity

Sub title : A Dispute Over Unilateral Negotiations for Hindu-Muslim Settlement

Subject: Political Negotiations | Hindu-Muslim Relations | All India Muslim League

Date of publication: 1940

Language: English

Page: 14 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27597

Keyword: M.A. Jinnah — A.K. Fazlul Haq — All India Muslim League — Muslim League | Hindu-Muslim Unity — Pakistan — Indian Independence | Communal Problem — Civil Disobedience — Working Committee — Bengal Government —Government of India Act.

Abstract: This collection of letters and telegrams from 1940-1941 documents an attempt by A.K. Fazlul Haq, Premier of Bengal, to initiate a final peace effort between the All India Muslim League (AIML) and the Indian National Congress. Haq urges M.A. Jinnah to call a meeting of the AIML to take the lead in resolving the communal deadlock. Jinnah firmly rebuffs the move, criticizing Haq for acting unilaterally and publicly, which he believes creates an impression of a divided Muslim front. Jinnah argues that the Congress's Civil Disobedience Movement is an act of war against Muslim interests and that the timing and approach of Haq's initiative are inappropriate.

Description: This is a series of primary documents consisting of private letters and telegrams exchanged between two key figures of British India: M.A. Jinnah, the President of the All India Muslim League, and A.K. Fazlul Haq, the then Premier of Bengal. The core of the exchange revolves around Fazlul Haq's public statements and private appeal for Jinnah to convene the Muslim League to make a final attempt at a Hindu-Muslim settlement. Jinnah's replies are critical and defensive, highlighting his view that the Congress was the aggressor and that any initiative from the League at that juncture would be seen as a sign of weakness. The later letters discuss the unintended publication of their correspondence in the press, showing their concern over public perception and political fallout. This collection offers a candid look into the political strategies and internal dynamics of the Muslim League on the eve of the Pakistan demand. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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