The First Sindh Provincial Muslim
League Conference
Karachi Sindh
presidential address
OF MR. M. A. JINNAH
READ ON 8th OCTOBER 1938.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I thank you for the honour you have done me by
asking me to preside over this All Sindh Muslim
League Conference. Sindh has a wonderful history
behind it and it gives me a peculiar pleasure that I
should have the privilege of presiding over a great
conference of Muslims. I most heartily congratulate
you for having established the District Muslim
Leagues in almost all of your Districts and having
organized the Musalmans of Sindh in the manner in
which you have done within such a short time. This
great political consciousness and awakening that has
taken place among the Musalmans of Sindh is a great
pointer and I feel confident that with the help of
your self-less leaders and workers
Sindh will come into its own and set an example to
the rest of India. You know the efforts of the All
India Muslim League to Separate Sindh were seriously
started in 1927 and the demand to separate Sindh was
incorporated in the Delhi Muslim League proposals in
March 1927. It was a hard and arduous struggle but
notwithstanding the strenuous opposition from
various quarters ultimately it was decided to
separate Sindh from Bombay Presidency as an
independent Province with a constitution on an equal
footing with the rest of the provinces of the
British India. Now that your Province is an
independent entity the greatest responsibility rests
on the shoulders of the Musalmans of Sindh for the
welfare and the progress of your Province. Not long
ago the Musalmans in Sindh were divided and turn
into groups but today I am happy to find that there
is a wonderful public spirit, solidarity and unity
demonstrated and with proper organization if you
mobilize and harness your powers there is nothing to
prevent the Muslim league of your Province from
assuming the reigns of the Government of your
province. It is in your hands now. You must remember
that it is your duty and responsibility which calls
upon you to conduct the affairs of the Government of
Sindh. The constitution enacted by the Government of
India Act of 1935, although it incorporates many
objectionable features, yet you should utilize it
with your majority strength successfully for the
economic, social, educational and political uplift
of the people of Sindh and in particular of the
Musalmans. I feel confident that mainly the
Musalmans of Sindh and the right thinking Hindus
will realize that the progress and the welfare of
the Province lies in maintaining the high principles
of justice, fairplay and friendly co-operation
amongst the people of Sindh.
While speaking in this great city and the capital of
Sindh, Karachi with its magnificent position that it
occupies, the wonderful sea port and constituting as
it does the first home-land of Musalmans, it gives
me no small pleasure that I should preside over a
conference of the kind the like of which has never
before taken place in Sindh and you can well imagine
my surging emotions when I tell you that Karachi is
my birth place and I cannot adequately express how
deeply anxious I am for its welfare and how
cordially I wish your Province to rise to its full
stature and play your great and rightful part in the
Counsels of Muslim India. Musalmans of Sindh have
another sacred duty to perform and a far graver task
in front of them and it is that aspect which I want
to impress upon you. In the All India Muslim
struggle against the various forces which are out to
destroy and divide the Musalmans by means of
corruption and dishonest propaganda you have to
guard yourself against it and stand solid behind the
All India Muslim League which is the only
authoritative and representative organization of the
Musalmans of India. It is an irony of fate that the
two provinces for which the All India Muslim League
fought successfully that is Sindh and the North West
Frontier Provinces, should remain outside
the ken of the All India Muslim
League. But I am glad that Sindh
Musalmans have now realized. The
Wonderful rally on their part is a bright sign and
new chapter in the History of the All India Muslim
League. North West Frontier Province for which the
Muslim League fought against every machination
including the opposition on the part of the Congress
itself against our demand that it should have the
constitution and reforms on an equal fooling with
all the other provinces of the British India should
remain, when liberated under the heel of Wardha.
But I feel confident that it will not be very long
before the Musalmans of North West Frontier Province
will come home on the platform of the
All India Muslim
League and work as loyally and
faithfully as any Musalman under the banner and the
flag of the All India Muslim League and those who
have and are still misleading the Pathans will meet
with their ''Nemesis".
The struggle that we are carrying on is not merely
for loaves and fishes, minister ships and jobs, nor
are we opposed to the economic, social and
educational uplift of our countrymen as it is
falsely alleged. We want to make every contribution
to the uplift of our people particularly the
Musalmans. Do not believe when you are told that the
policy and program of the League is reactionary. No
honest man who has studied the policy and program of
the League can conscientiously truthfully say that
it is anything but fully national and most
progressive. Yet Muslim League and its leaders are
daily misrepresented and vilified. Truth is
suppressed and falsehood is broadcast in the
Congress press and news agencies; of course we
having no press. But the greatest misfortunes of
India is that the High Command of the Congress has
adopted a most brutal, oppressive and inimical
attitude towards the All India Muslim League since
they secured the majority in the six provinces.
After they decided to accept office and work the
constitution when we were ready and offered our hand
of co-operation as we had already made it clear
before and after the elections also the first demand
was that the League must liquidate itself and we
were told that it represents nobody except few
estimable middle class gentlemen. And secondly the
decision was taken that we must be treated as an
anathema and the League groups in the various
legislatures were boycotted by the Congress. And the
members of the League party in the legislatures were
to be treated as untouchables and that no one was to
be included in the ministry of those provinces from
amongst the representatives of the League party
unless they unconditionally signed the pledge, the
policy, and the program of the Congress which
honestly speaking is much worse than that of the All
India Muslim League and more communal, in fact,
except that we stand for the adequate and effective
safeguards for the rights and interests of the
Musalmans and that we do not agree with false creed
of "truth and nonviolence" which is observed and
honoured more in breach. They were asked to abjure
their party and forego their creed, policy and
program which is far more honest and straightforward
and practical. They started in the legislatures with
a song of "Bande Matramn” which is not only
idolatrous but in its origin and substance a hymn to
spread hatred for the Musalmans. And they in their
wisdom tried and are persisting now and compelling
the school authorities to sing “Bande Matram” at
congregations and school gatherings although it is
admitted that it is not a national song. They have
persistently hoisted tri-colour flags in a most
aggressive and offensive manner on all Government
and public institutions irrespective of the feelings
of others although it is admitted that it is not a
national flag. They started "the Muslim Mass
Contact" which is not only silly but dangerous and
some wise-acre amongst them think that this will
bring about the destruction of the communal award or
at any rate nullify its object and destroy the true
strength of Muslim representation in the various
legislatures, and further thereby force every Muslim
to submit to the membership of the Congress. They
have been forcing radical changes in the educational
system of the Provinces and to run the department on
Wardha scheme which has assumed the name of "Vidhyia
Mandir" and make Hindi compulsory in the guise of
Hindustani but highly Sanskritised as "Lingua
Franca" of India and leave no stone unturned to
suppress Urdu which is the language of the largest
number of Musalmans in India and thus give a death
blow to their culture and their solidarity. Every
available post or job is reserved for the
Congressmen or those Musalmans who are prepared to
desert or vilify the League. The "Civil Liberties"
has assumed new definition. That in the absence of
"Swadeshi Laws" "lawless and reactionary laws" such
as the "Criminal Law Amendment Act" and "Section
144" are to be freely utilized against, those
persons who disobey or differ from the Congress
Ministries and particularly in the case of the
members of the Muslim League. Measures are brought
in, bills have been passed and laws have been
enacted which are obviously highly detrimental to
the interests of the Musalmans. For instance
amendments of the franchise system of voting and
representation of minorities, in Municipal Local
and Districts Boards. The Muslim Press is terrorized
under threat of penalty of forfeiture of securities
and in some cases the obnoxious executive orders
have been passed and securities of some Muslim Urdu
papers have been forfeited. Is this the national
programme that is being pursued for the advancement
of the people of this Country which will achieve
freedom and independence of India? If this is the
foretaste on the threshold of the limited and
restricted authority and power enjoyed by the
Congress, I shudder to think what would be the fate
of ninety millions of Musalmans in this country if
the Congress were incharge of full and plenary
powers of the Government of India; and yet the other
day the President of the Congress had the temerity
in speaking at the Haripura Congress Session in
February 1938 to solemnly ask "I would put it to the
members of the minority communities in India to
consider dispassionately if they have any thing to
fear when the Congress programme is put into
operation." So far I have not dealt with the cases
of maltreatment and tyranny and persecution
regarding which columns and columns have been filled
by newspapers-specially in three Provinces of Bihar,
U. P. & C. P. and we are awaiting the report of the
committee that has been appointed. I hope that the
report will be out before the next Session of Muslim
League in December 1938.
It is common knowledge that the average Congressman
whether he is a member by conviction or
"convenience" arrogates to himself the role of a
ruler of this country and although he does not
possess the educational qualifications, training and
culture and traditions of the British Bureaucrat he
behaves and acts towards the Musalmans in a much
worse manner than the British did towards Indians.
The Supreme Command may well deplore corruption,
untruthfulness and violence and may further deplore
the faked register of membership of the Congress by
"convenience",
These are a few characteristic features of the
Congress programme so far regarding the Musalmans.
But we are told very recently in your city by a high
authority that surely the fact that the Governors
have not yet thought fit to interfere or exercise
their special powers is a proof-positive and shows
that the Musalmans are not only justly and fairly
treated but they are dealt with handsomely and
generously. I know that Governors and the
Governor-General have failed the minorities and
specially the Musalmans. But on the other hand we
are told that there is a gentlemen's agreement and a
Secret understanding between the British Government
and the Congress in consequence of which assurances
were given that such powers will not be exercised,
and so it is obvious that the Congress Ministries
are getting the longest rope with the result that
the foolish policy of the Congress is responsible
not only for intense bitterness between the two
sister communities but among the various classes and
interests. It has resulted in serious clashes and
conflicts and ill-will, which are bound to recoil in
the long run on the progress and welfare of India.
It seems that Congress is only tumbling into the
hands of those who are looking forward to the
creation of a serious situation which will break
India vertically and horizontally. But this is not
all. Now let us turn to Bengal, Punjab and Assam. In
these Provinces there happens to be a predominant
Muslim voice in the Ministries and hence they are
made the target and the object of final destruction
by the Congress High Command. In Bengal the move to
defeat Fazl-ul-Huq Ministry has ignominiously
failed. In Punjab various efforts are made to weaken
the Ministry of Sir Sikandar Hayat. But in Punjab
they have not yet dared to table a no confidence
motion because Punjab Ministry cannot yet be bent.
In Assam Mr, Saadullah's Ministry resigned.
Immediately the Congress President went post-haste
with other henchmen and agents to help the birth of
a so called Congress Ministry in utter disregard of
all their previous professions and declarations and
contrary to their avowed determination to have
nothing to do with coalition and he gathered
together various groups all and sundry. But in
forming the Ministry Mr. Bordoloi was not able to
announce the name of even one of the three Muslim
Ministers who were to be included in the Ministry.
Apart from the methods adopted further to move the
President for adjournment of the Assembly
'Sine die' was hardly creditable, and
for a great party, not to face the legislature
knowing full well that they had not the majority at
their back was shere Cowardice. It is under threat
of suspension of oath taking ceremony that the
President and Congress party agreed to the sessions
of the Assembly being called at an early date, and
up to the present moment Mr. Bordoloi has not been
able to get more than one of the three Muslim
Ministers, and he is still hunting for the remaining
two Muslim Ministers. When 56 members of the
Assembly out of 107 are not only against the so
called Congress Ministry but have tabled the vote of
no confidence, I congratulate the President, Mr.
Bose, for his statesman-like achievement for this
still born child which he is now anxious to feed by
means of oxygen and bring it to life by appealing to
the European planters to come to his rescue. The
Congress High Command is obsessed with one idea and
determined to divide the Musalmans and particularly
to break the solidarity of the Muslim League, no
matter how low they may have to stoop. They rave no
scruples or any standard or principle in their
methods. Their policy is based on arrogance and
opportunism and unfortunately they are at the
present moment getting the support of a large body
of Hindus who have respect for the Congress and they
are being fully exploited. Not only that but even
Mr. Gandhi who has acquired the spiritual influence
over a large body of the Hindu public and with his
halo of Mahatma is used by those who surround him.
He often tries to get out of the awkward corners by
falling back upon his inner voice or the voice of
silence and relies upon the fact that he is not even
a four anna member of the Congress; and he deplores
corruption, untruthfulness and violence and pleads
to his utter helplessness for the decisions of
Congress High Command. This grand Fascist Council,
the working Committee which is named "the shadow
cabinet" of a parallel Government of India is
supposed to speak on behalf of “the Indian Nation”
Some of its antics remind one of a clown imitating
the artist in a circus. During the critical
situation about the end of September last this so
called shadow cabinet continually sat in sessions
and kept vigil as the All India Congress Committee
had entrusted them with a power to take such
decisions as they thought
proper with regard to the question of
India's part in the event of the war breaking out.
So to begin with a sympathetic message was sent by
the High Command to the Government of Czechoslovakia
and
the Mahatma and the Working Committee
were continuing the vigil waiting for
the Whitehall to approach Mahatma
Gandhi, But the war is averted and soon now
the vigil will terminate and India
must breathe a sigh of relief as we are saved from
the Congress decision with regard to
the war for the moment. So now this is the situation
and position that we have to face. It is no use
relying upon anyone I else. We must stand on our own
inherent strength and build up our own power and
forge sanctions behind our decisions. Today we are
told that even for the purpose of a settlement of
Hindu Muslim question we do not represent the
Musalmans of India and we are required to prove the
position and status of ours by 14 service and merits
"before the mighty High Command. Gentlemen! The
meaning is clear. It is no use our blaming others.
It is no use our accusing our opponents only; it is
no use our expecting our enemies to behave
differently. If the Musalmans are going to be
defeated in their national goal and aspirations it
will only be by the betrayal of the Musalmans among
us as it has happened in the past. For the renegades
and traitors I have nothing to say, they can do
their worst. But I appeal most fervently to those
Musalmans who honestly feel for their Community and
its welfare and those who are misled or misguided
and indifferent, to come on to the platform of the
Muslim League and work under its flag; and please
close your ranks and file and stand solid and united
at any and all costs and speak and act with one
voice.
Here I wish to make it clear that I am not fighting
the Hindu Community as such nor have I any quarrel
with the Hindus generally for
I
have many personal friends amongst
them; but the Congress "High Command" is in my
opinion the greatest enemy of India's progress and
for the matter of that even of the interests of
Hindus. Although there are many Hindus who entirely
condemn them and are completely fed up with them yet
a large body of the Hindu public is still hypnotized
and mesmerized by them by their Seductive and
abusive propaganda and disingenuous catch words and
Slogans. Will they get their freedom of judgment and
action!
With regard to the tragedy of Palestine that is
going on at present and the ruthless repression that
is practised against the Arabs because of their
struggle for the freedom of their country, I need
hardly tell you that we had most convincing proofs
demonstrated all over India that the heart of every
Musalman is with them in their brave and wonderful
struggle that they are carrying on against all odds
and in spite of their being "defenseless". According
to the resolution of the All India Muslim League
Council, 26th of August was observed all over India
as the Palestine day and from all accounts I can say
without exaggeration that thousands and thousands of
meetings were held all over India fully and
fervently sympathizing with those who are fighting
for their country's freedom. Musalmans’ heart is
wounded and lacerated when they hear the news and
the accounts of ruthless and tyrannical repression
and repression of those brave Arabs and I know that
the entire Muslim world is watching the doings of
Great Britain there.
I may inform you that the Muslim League Council
appointed a special committee at their meeting of
the 30th July 1938 to consider the question of
sending racial deputation abroad specially to
Palestine and England and directed the committee to
consider the ways and means by which an effective
pressure can be brought to bear upon the British
Government. And that committee recently met at
Badaun and have in response to the invitation from
the Egyptian Parliamentary Committee for the Defense
of Palestine chosen five representatives on behalf
of the All India Muslim League to attend the
Parliamentary Congress of Arabs and Muslim countries
which will be held in Cairo starting from the 7th
October 1938 with a view consider the present
situation in Palestine. Three of our
representatives, Mr. Khaliquzzaman, Mr. Abdur Rahman
Siddiqui and Maulana Mazhar Uddin out of the five
appointed have already left India and are on their
way to Cairo. Further according to the instructions
of the Egyptian Parliamentary Committee we have
netified that if any other member of the Muslim
League party in legislature desires to participate
in the Congress the invitation will be issued to him
by the Secretary, All India Muslim League, We shall
await the results of the deliberations and the
decisions of that Congress and then I may assure you
that the All India Muslim League will do all that
lies in its power to help the cause of the Arabs in
Palestine. I am glad here to note that Congress
Working Committee also at Delhi has passed a
resolution. That having regard to its importance it
was moved by the chair without any comments. This is
an indication of the superficial interest the
Congress takes in matters which the Musalmans
consider nearest and dearest to their heart.
During the recent times Great Britain has thrown her
friends to the wolves and broken her solemn
promises. Only those succeed with the British People
who possess force and power and who are in a
position to bully them. They have also let down and
thrown the Musalmans of India to the wolves. I am
sure that there will be no peace in the Near East
unless they give an honest and square deal to the
Arabs in Palestine. In India I may draw the
attention of His Majesty's Government and the
British Statesmen who I am sure are not under any
delusion that Congress represents the people of
India or Indian nation, for there are 90 millions of
Musalmans. And I would draw their attention and here
also of the Congress High Command and ask them to
mark, learn and inwardly digest the recent upheaval
and its consequent developments which threatened the
world war. It was because the Sudeten Germans who
were forced under the heel of the majority of
Czechoslovakia who oppressed them, suppressed them,
maltreated them and showed a brutal and callous
disregard for their rights and interests for two
decades hence the inevitable result that the
Republic of Czechoslovakia is now broken up and a
new map will have to be drawn. Just as the Sudeten
Germans were not defenseless and survived the
oppression and persecution for two decades so also
the Musalmans are not defenseless and cannot give up
their national entity and aspirations in this great
continent. Here also I may mention the Frontier
policy of the Government of India which the sooner
it is given up the better and methods of
reconciliation are resorted to instead. I will
therefore appeal to the British Government to review
and revise their policy with regard to the
Palestine, Waziristan and Musalmans of India and the
Islamic powers generally. It is in the interest of
Great Britain to seriously consider the
reorientation in the light of the developments that
have taken place during the last two decades.
To the Musalmans therefore I say go forward and
organize your people all over India and if reasons
and arguments fail our ultimate resort must depend
upon our own inherent strength and power. I do not
despair nor need we fear the consequences in this
great struggle of life and death which involves the
destiny of 90 millions of our people.
