COMSATS University Islamabad, Virtual Campus

HUM111 Pakistan Studies

Lecture 08 Handouts

Historical Events 1940-1947

Cripps Mission
Causes of Cripps Mission: Japan Attack
Japan had already attacked Pearl Harbour on 7th December 1941 and the American Naval
Base and destroyed it. It had taken over Philippines, Malaysia and come to the borders of
Assam. Japan could easily attack India. To check the situation, Sir Stafford Cripps, a member
of the war cabinet, was sent to India in March 1942 to get India’s cooperation to fight the
war.

Cripps Proposal
The main proposals of the mission were
• Give India dominion status after war like that enjoyed by Canada and Australia.
• Promise of the formation of a constituent assembly to finalize the constitution.
• Princely states to be free to join India or remain independent.
• Provinces could decide to be separate from India and frame their own constitution.
• Till further notice, the defense would be handled by the British government.

Rejection Cripps Proposal

The Cripps proposal failed to satisfy the parties. The main objections were
➢ Division of the nation
• The proposal put up the point of division of India into several independent
states which was against its unity.
➢ No time limit for the dominion status
• British did not declare when the dominion status would be given. The
declaration was vague.
➢ Representatives of princely states nominated
• The people of the Princely States were denied the right to elect a
representative of their own. They would be nominated by the rulers of those
states.
• Gandhiji criticized Cripps Proposal as ‘postdated cheque on a failing bank’.
The Muslim League reject the Cripps Proposal as it did not clearly state the
decision of partition and the formation of a Muslim State.

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Causes of the Quit India Movement 1942

➢ Failure of Cripps mission

The dominion status promised by Cripps was rejected by both Congress and Muslim
League. Now there was no other option left but to go for something stronger.

➢ Communal flare up in India

Muslim League’s declaration of Pakistan in 1940 had spread communal disharmony
between the Muslims and Hindus. The British were deliberately playing up the Muslim
community which was smoldering as the Muslims disliked the idea of a Hindu majority
party headed by the Congress. Their minority disliked being ruled over by a Hindu
majority party.

➢ Japanese threat
The Japanese had come up to Burma. They would attack India anytime till the time it was
under British occupation. It would be better if India was independent before the Japanese
decided to attack India. British would not be able to stop the Japanese from attacking
India. This would be the best time to strike for total independence.

Quit India Movement 1942

Impact of the Quit India Movement 1942
➢ Mass movement
With large number of people participating in it coming from all sections and backgrounds
made it the biggest mass movement after 1930. The people’s reaction demanding British
withdrawal from India was astounding.

➢ British made to feel unwelcome

British felt unwelcome and unwanted due to this mass uprising. The participation was
breath taking with even some the princely states joining on board the movement.

➢ British repression
British used severe repression measures by lathi charging, jailing and shooting down
people to no avail. The rising tide of people protesting could not be checked despite
brutal repression.

➢ Second rung leadership

With the arrest of the leaders like Gandhi and Nehru, there appeared a second rung
leadership in the underground with leaders, who led from the front, like Ram Manohar
Lohia, Aruna Asaf Ali, Jaiprakash Narayan, Achyutrao Patwardhan and Nana Patil. They
kept on the fight alive against the British setting up parallel government in the states like
UP, Maharashtra, West Bengal.

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Muslim League Response to Quit India
• Muslim did not blindly plunge into the “Quit India”
• Jinnah asked for “Divide and Quit India”

Simla Conference
The Viceroy, Lord Wavell, to have a dialogue with the major political parties in 1945, called
Simla Conference. The following politicians were invited to participate in the Conference at
Simla, a summer resort, and capital of the Federal government in the summer season.
Congress: Pandit Nehru, Baldev Singh and Azad
Muslim League: Quaid-e-Azam, Liaquat Ali Khan and Abdu Rub Nishter
Chief Ministers: All provinces
Unionist and other parties’ representatives

Wavell Plan
• In May 1945, Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of India, went to London and discussed his
ideas about the future of India with the British administration.
• To discuss these proposals with the leadership of major Indian parties, Wavell called
for a conference at Simla on June 25, 1945.
• In May 1945, Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of India, went to London and discussed his
ideas about the future of India with the British administration.
• To discuss these proposals with the leadership of major Indian parties, Wavell called
for a conference at Simla on June 25, 1945.
• If all the Indian political parties would help the British in the war then the British
Government would introduce Constitutional Reforms in India after the war.
• Viceroy’s Executive Council would be immediately reconstituted,and the number of
its members would be increased.
• In that Council there would be equal representation of high class Hindus and the
Muslims.
• Other minorities including low-caste Hindus, Shudders and Sikhs would be given
representation in the Council.
• All the members of the Council, except the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief
would be Indians.
• An Indian would be appointed as the member of Foreign Affairs in the Council.
However, a British Commissioner would be appointed to look after the matters
relating to the trade.
• Defense of India was to be in the hands of a British authority till Power was
transferred to the Indian hands
• Viceroy would convene a meeting of the Indian politician including the leaders of
Congress and the Muslim League so that they could nominate the names of the
members of the new Council.

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 • If this plan is approved for the Central Government, then same type of popular
ministries comprising of the political leaders would be formed in all the provinces.
• None of the changes suggested will in any way prejudice or prejudge the essential
form of the future permanent Constitution of India
• Leaders of both the Congress and the Muslim League attended the conference, which
is known as the Simla Conference.
• Differences between the leadership of the two parties on the issue of representation of
the Muslim community. The Muslim League claimed that it was the only
representative party of the Muslims in India.
• Congress, which had sent Maulana Azad as the leader of their delegation, tried to
prove that it represented all the communities living in India.

Failure of the Conference

The conference had to decide the political infrastructure, the formation of assemblies and
governments at central as well as provincial level. The move was encouraging for Congress.
What so ever was the situation, the Congress was going to form the government by its
majority. Congress joined the conference proceedings with high hopes. It had also declared
before holding a conference that it would not accept partition in any case.

The meeting started to discuss the first point on the agenda. The point related to the
nomination of five Muslim ministers of the Viceroy'sExecutive Council. The Quaid-e-Azam
vehemently argued that all the five would be nominatedon the recommendations of All India
Muslim League. No other party had a right to send even a sin member. The Viceroy and
Indian National Congress wished to nominate Maulana Azad as, Muslim minister. The Quaid
did not agree to this proposal. Now Victoryasked the Quaid to accept Malik Khizar Hayat
Tiwana, the leader of Unionist party. The Quaid-e-Azam rejected this name as well and
insisted that all the five ministries should be given to All India Muslim League. The very first
point created a fuss and further discussion was futile, therefore, the Simla Conference failed
in getting any objective.

General Election 1945-46

• The deadlock made Wavell to announce the failure of his efforts on July 14.
• No hopes to proceed further.
• Provincial and General Elections [1945-46].
• With the failure of the Simla Conference, Lord Wavell announced that the Central and
Provincial Legislature elections would be held in the winter of 1945, after which a
constitution-making body would be set up.
• He also announced that after the elections, the Viceroy would set up an Executive
Council that would have the support of the main Indian political parties. Both the
Muslim League and the Congress opposed the proposal.

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 • Quaid-i-Azam declared that Muslims were not ready to accept any settlement less
than a separate homeland.
• The elections were held in two stages. In December 1945, the central legislative
assembly was elected, and provincial elections were held in early 1946.
• Congress won a total of 930 seats, gaining an absolute majority in eight provinces.
• The Muslim League captured 428 out of the possible 492 Muslim seats.
• The elections of 1945-1946 proved that Muslim League (ML) alone represented the
Muslims of India. The sweeping majority of ML increased Congress hostility towards
the ML.

Cabinet Mission Plan 1946

The results of the general elections held in 1945-46 served to underline the urgency to find a
solution to the political deadlock which was the result of non-cooperation between the two
major parties. To end this, the British government sent a special mission of cabinet ministers
to India. Members of the mission were Lord Pethic Lawrence, the Secretary of State for
India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A. V. Alexander, the First
Lord of the Admiralty.

The purpose of the mission was:

• It was to devise a machinery to draw up the constitution of independent India.

• Setting up of a constitution body.

• Thus, the mission was like a declaration of the independence of India.

• The cabinet plan proposed that there shall be a Union of India which was to be
empowered to deal with the defense, foreign affairs and communication.

• It recommended an undivided India and turned down the ML’s demand for a separate
state.

• It restricted the Communal representation and provided that all the members of the
Interim cabinet would be Indians and there would be minimum interference by the
Viceroy.

• It also provided for formation of constituent assembly on democratic principle of

population.

• It recognized Indian right to cede from the Commonwealth.

• The Union government and its legislatures were to have limited powers, dealing with
Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Communications. The Union would have powers
necessary to raise finances to manage subjects. Thus, the mission proposed a weak
center.

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 • All the subjects other than the Union subjects and all the residuary powers would be
vested in the provinces.

• The princely states would retain all the subjects and all residuary powers

• A constituent assembly would consist of 389 members to draft the constitution out of
whom 292 would be from provinces. Out of these 292, 93 members would be from
Princely States.

• India would be divided into three groups.

• Group “A” was to consist of Bihar, Bombay, U.P. Madras, Orissa and C.P.

• Group “B” comprised of Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and British Baluchistan.

• While group “C “included Asam and Bengal. These groups were given the authority
to frame their constitution jointly with the other provinces of their respective groups

• Meanwhile Jawaharlal Nehru, addressing a press conference on July 10, said that the
Congress had agreed to join the constituent assembly, but saying it would be free to
make changes in the Cabinet Mission Plan.

• Under these circumstances, the Muslim League disassociated itself from the Cabinet
Plan and resorted to “Direct Action” to achieve Pakistan. As a result, Viceroy Wavell
invited the Congress to join the interim government, although it had practically
rejected the plan.

• However, the Viceroy soon realized the ineffectiveness of the scheme without the
participation of the League. Therefore, on October 14, 1946, he extended an invitation
to them as well.

• On March 22, 1947, Lord Mountbatten arrived as the last Viceroy. It was announced
that power would be transferred from British to Indian hands by June 1948.

Towards Partition
• Lord Mountbatten entered into a series of talks with the Congress and the Muslim
League leaders.

• Quaid-e-Azam made it clear that the demand for Pakistan had the support of all the
Muslims of India and that he could not withdraw from it.

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3rd June 1947 Plan
• When all of Mountbatten’s efforts to keep India united failed, he asked to chalk out a
plan for the transfer of power and the division of the country. It was decided that none
of the Indian parties would view it before the plan was finalized.
• The plan was finalized in the Governor’s Conference in April 1947, and was then sent
to Britain in May where the British Government approved it.
• The plan was made public on June 3 and is thus known as the June 3rd Plan.
• It was comprised of the following points on the basis of which Britain, after dividing
it, was to quit India:
o Two separate states will be established in India.
o The present constitution assembly will to act but its constitution will not be
applicable on the areas which will not accept it.
o The power will be transferred the same year (1947) to the representatives of
India.
o The Muslim majority areas and the Hindu majority distinct of Bengal and
Punjab will decide in separate meeting to accept or not to accept the division
of the provinces. If anyone of the two groups will opt division, the province
will be divided.
o The Muslim majority areas which will not opt to join present constituent
assembly, will create their separate constituent assembly.

Radcliffe Award/ Boundary Commissions

• It was provided in the June 3 plan that as soon as the legislatures of Punjab and
Bengal decided in favor of partition, a boundary commission should be set up to
demarcate the boundaries.
• The legislatures of Bengal and Punjab voted in favor of partition. Boundary
commissions were set up for Punjab and Bengal under the chairmanship of Sir
Radcliffe. Each commission was to consist of an equal number of representatives of
India and Pakistan and one or more impartial members.
• The final award was announced on 17thAugust 1947. The Radcliffe Award was unfair
to Pakistan because it awarded many Muslim majority areas in Punjab and Bengal to
India. Calcutta was given to India.
• Muslim majority tehsils of Gurdaspur and Batalawere given to India along with
Pathankot tehsil. The Muslim majority tehsil Ajnalain in Amritsar district was also
handed over to India.
• In Jullundur district the Muslim majority areas in Ferozpur district were also given to
India. All of these areas were attached to western Punjab.
• This unfair award resulted in India's occupation of Kashmir and snatching from
Pakistan important head works and giving them to India.

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