Abstract:
THERE are several books which deal with the fateful events leading
to the establishment of the sovereign States of India and Pakistan.
Most of them have been written by authors who were emotionally
unprepared for the partition of the sub-continent. Hence their
writings do not portray the attitudes of the Muslims correctly. It
is necessary, therefore, to put the record straight.
It has not been possible to do full justice to the theme. The
Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was too busy to keep a
diary. His private papers are in the custody of his sister, Miss
Fatima Jinnah, and are not available to the students of the period.
His principal lieutenants and others who were intimately connected
with the hectic negotiations leading to the establishment of Pakistan have not left any memoirs. An attempt was made to interview some persons, but they refused to co-operate for one reason
or another. This book is, therefore, mainly based on published
authorities or such archives as are available. It cannot claim to
disclose any new source material. This is not due to any lack of
effort on the part of the author or his collaborator, Dr. K. K. Aziz.
The latter went to several political leaders bearing letters from the
author but he received little co-operation. Either the persons contacted were too busy or they expressed their intention to write
themselves. It is earnestly hoped that they commit to writing what
they still remember, because human memory is capable of playing
curious pranks with facts. One of the senior leaders has died recently and history is poorer because he could not find time to write
his memoirs or narrate some of the events to Dr. Aziz.
However, every effort has been made to consult the available
material and records. Dr. Aziz was sent to England to supplement
