QUAID-E-AZAM IN GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S HOUSE

QUAID-E-AZAM IN GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S HOUSE

A Dakota (DC-3) aircraft of Viceroy of India’s Flight, carrying Governor-General (designate) of Pakistan,his sister and the two Aides-de-Camp touched down at Mauripur airstrip on the evening of 7th August 1947 amidst unprecedented scenes of enthusiasm and rejoicing, ever witnessed before. There was a mammoth crowd waiting to welcome their leader and now the Governor-General (designate) of the largest Muslim state in the world. The aircraft had hardly stopped and the pilot, anRAF Squadron Leader, was still going through the drill of switching off its two engines when the hitherto seemingly disciplined crowd, became hysteric and disregarding all rules of safety engulfed the aircraft like a swarm of bees. It was a fascinating spectable but the vantage point to enjoy such a sight could be any but the cockpit of an aircraft with its engines running. It was a frightening sensation for me as a Pilot because I could visualize the consequences of such intimacy between the running engines of an aircraft and people. I sat tense in my seat, praying to God, to spare any such disaster. My fellow passengers, unmindful of the tragic consequences of such a rush on the aircraft, sat in their seats and enjoyed the enthusiastic welcome. A scenario that I would love to experience again and be a part of it.

Quaid-e-Azam watched all this scene from his aircraft seat window. I guess, he did not approve of this indiscipline and I was right. The door of the aircraft was flung open and all was set for the Governor-General (designate) to disembark. Ahsan whispered to the Quaid, “All is set for you to alight Sir”. The Quaid-e-Azam sat still and said, “No: I don’t like this. I don’t like this. Let them clear the area first”. There was an uneasy hush in the aircraft.

There were no formal ceremonies. It was the arrival of a Public leader and the reception was also a public reception, a free for all. Welcoming over, Quaid-e-Azam drove to the Government House, now re-designated Governor-General’s House. There is something about this house for me, now that whenever I drive past on what is known as Aiwan-e-Saddar Road or look into the House,sitting in the Chandni Lounge from top of the Hotel Pearl Continental, I get nostalgia. Memories of this House are still stored fresh in the computer of my brain. Quaid-e-Azam’s first entry into the Governor-General House is as clear to me today as if it was only yesterday. I remember his car entering gate No. 1, the main gate opposite YMCA, guards presenting arms and the car casually wheeling along the slightly arched drive way leading to the main portico. After going a little distance, the car stopped, Quaid-e-Azam alighted and gracefully walked through, what we may term as civilian guard of honor, formed by the entire house-hold staff of G.G. House, standing on both sides of the drive way. Quaid-e-Azam acknowledged their welcome greetings by raising his hand in his familiar style. He was flanked by Miss Jinnah and myself on either side. Thus in this formation the Governor-General (designate) entered the portals of what was to be his seat of Government for the next thirteen months.

I am privileged to be his Aide-de-Camp for the first seven months of his tenure as Governor-General. I had the good fortune to witness from the grand stand and be a part, of coming into being and the historic initiation of a new state on the map of the world.

Lucky were the people who had the honor to be in the camp of the Quaid and struggled for freedom of Muslim India under the undaunted and scrupulous leadership of Father of the Nation. They deserve ou gratitude and we salute them. It is only because of their efforts and sacrifices that we, today have our own country and can aspire to reach the pinnacle of the highest rung of the ladder and call ourselves President, Prime Minister, Commanders’ of Armed Forces and so on, otherwise wewould have been reduced to hewers of wood and water in a United India.

The theme of this composition is, Quaid-e-Azam in the Governor-General House and it scans the period from 7th August, 1947 to 11th September, 1948. This time frame may broadly be classified as pre-oath taking and post-oath taking periods. In this pre-oath taking period of seven days – 7th August to 14th August, 1947, three important functions were held, functions of major historic significance and in these functions, the Governor-General (designate) in his speeches out lined guide lines of future policies of the new state. His address to the members of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan (11th August, 1947) was most significant. It is a piece of literature, high mark of his legal genius and a masterpiece of his constitutional mind. It is the Magna Carta of Pakistan. In this address he covered all aspects of Pakistan’s internal and external policies. It was in this soul searching address that he uttered these memorable words, “Everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs…no matter what is his color, cast, creed, is first, second and last, a citizen of this state, with equal rights, privileges and obligations…”

The post-oath taking period 14th August, 1947 to 11th September, 1948, may be further bifurcated into two, more or less, equal periods, where the first half spanning from 14th August 1947 to April, 1948 was full of activity when the Quaid made momentous decisions and took very active interest in the development of the nascent State. The second half of this period was comparatively quiet because of the ill health of the Governor-General. In June 1948, he was moved to Ziarat where he was laid up and advised complete rest. In between, on 1st July, 1948 he did come down to Karachi once, for the opening ceremony of the State Bank of Pakistan. It was indeed very brave of him to undertake that journey because at that time he was distressingly very unwell.

August 7, 1947 is the cut-off date from the past for the purposes of our topic, it is date when Quaid-e-Azam entered the G.G. House and with this move a new chapter was unfolded. Duel responsibility that of leader of his people and Governor-General of the State devolved on his shoulders. It required distancing himself to some extent from his political involvements to enable him to attend to the affairs of the State. It did not mean a clean break or that the old guards ceased to exist for him, no, nothing ofthe kind, stalwarts like Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, Sardar Abdurrab Nishtar, Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din and others were very much there and their talent, dedication and services were now all the more needed to run the affairs of the State.

The Quaid-e-Azam was now Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Governor-General of Pakistan. That was the difference. The transition in relationship with his former Muslim League cabinet and now theCabinet of Government of Pakistan was smooth. They were his men then and they would always be his men here after. To them he was Quaid-e-Azam, the Great Leader and the esteem, love and regards they always had for him was voluntary and from their hearts and this new position or designation of Governor-General made no difference in respect of his authority over them and the respect and regards that his colleagues nurtured for him. In intelligence, intellect and political acumen, he was way above his political associates in the Muslim League and they were all conscious of it. They always looked up to him for a lead. I may be permitted to say that they were overwhelmed with his personality out of respect and admiration, like an old time school boy is, or let us say,was, afraid of his teacher with emotional attachment and admiration. It may not be true of present day school boys but then we are talking of the older generations. This explains many things like the decorum, propriety and a kind of nervousness on the part of his colleagues, when in his presence.

A person of the stature of Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din abhorred the very thought of displeasure of Mr. Jinnah.Khawaja Sahib as Chief Minister of East Pakistan on one of his routine consultations visits to the Federal Capital came to see the G.G. for any last minute instructions before his return to Dhaka, the next day. It was usual for Khawaja Sahib to drop in the A.D.C’s Office, after his meetings with the G.G., for a cup of tea and a few minced meat patties, that he relished. This time, like always, we had arranged some patties from café Grand from across the road. After his scheduled meeting, the Chief Minister East Pakistan visited us as usual and while he was enjoying his patties, there was a buzz from the G.G. I executed myself and rushed to attend to the boss. Knowing Khawaja Sahib’s routine, the G.G. inquired, “Is Mr. Nazim-ud-Din still with you?” I replied in the affirmative, he then instructed me, “Alright; ask him to see me at ten tomorrow morning”. On my return I conveyed G.G’s wish to Khawaja Sahib. He was not prepared for it and spontaneously said, “Oh, no, it is not possible…very important meetings with foreigners are already programmed for me at the other end…” I politely tried to convey to him, “Well sir, the G.G. desires to see you tomorrow. About the administrative arrangements like reservation of your seat to Dhaka etc, we will take care of it and you don’t have to worry about that”. In the meantime G.G. called again. After giving me some instructions, when I was about to leave he asked me if I had informed “Mr. Nazim-ud-Din” about his meeting tomorrow. I replied, “Yes sir, but Khawaja Sahib feels that he is rather committed at the other end including a meeting with a foreign delegation about some projects in East Pakistan”. The G.G. cut me short and said, “Go and tell him, I will see him tomorrow at 10 A.M. sharp.” I came back to politely suggest to Khawaja Sahib once again to postpone his departure as G.G. wishes to see him on some important matter but he would not take the hint.

In the end I had to tell him that he had no option. On his repeated insistence I repeated G.G’s words in direct speech and this upset Khawaja Sahib, extremely. He was flabbergasted and said, “Yes, yes. It is no problem. The meetings can easily be postponed, what is there in it. You are right. Please arrange my air passage for the day after”.

 Another gentleman politician, the tall, soft speaking, sports loving and beatle (Pan) chewing Nawab Iftikhar Hussain of Mamdot, Chief Minister of the Punjab, was so very shy to face the Quaid that he would never open his lips when in the presence of Mr. Jinnah but his devotion and loyalty to his leader, like that of his late father, was total.

Swashbuckling Mr. H.S. Suharawardy would not appear before Mr. Jinnah, in his usual care free dress and flamboyant swagger. In September 1947 when he crossed over to Pakistan after his sojourns in the Ashrams of Bengal along with Mahatma Gandhi, he came to see the G.G. He was dressed in a cream color sherwani with all its buttons open, as usual. His hair disheveled. I conducted him to G.G’s study but before I could open the door for him, he held my hand an asked me, “Please wait” and hurriedly buttoned up his sherwani right upto his neck, combed his hair with his fingers and then offered to proceed.

This, always had been the pattern of relationship between ‘the Great Leader’ and his colleagues in the party.

Quaid-e-Azam was not a man of pomp or show and there was no showmanship either in public or in private. As G.G. he always drove out of the House with only one pilot escort, riding on a motorcycle in front and with one break down car in the rear. This was all the cavalcade that comprised the entourage of the creator of the nation state. No roads were blocked and No traffic was stopped for Governor-General’s car. About fifteen minutes before G.G’s departure, the traffic police on the intended route was forewarned by a police sergeant riding on a motorcycle about the expected drive past of the G.G. Thus alerted, policemen controlling traffic on road interactions, on sighting Governor-General’s Pilot escort from a distance, would then stop the crossing traffic, on intersections only, thus giving a free run to G.G’s car. He stuck to his principles till the last whiff of his life and this is how he rode even on his last drive on that fateful afternoon of 11th September, 1948 from Mauripur airfield to the G.G. House. It is not known, even if the Pilot escort was there to lead him in, on his last journey. Only an ambulance carried the stretcher of the ailing Governor-General, almost on his death bed. There was no break down ambulance or no second car. According to Miss Jinnah’s book ‘My Brother’ the ambulance carrying Father of the nation ran short of fuel and the dying “Manof Destiny”, the architect and creator of the biggest Muslim state in the world, lay helplessly on the road side for over an hour, in that humid heat of September, with flies buzzing all over him and a desperate sister struggling to waive them away and waiting in anguish for help. This was not only callous but criminal negligence and height of incompetence that cannot be pardoned.

This was how we repaid our benefactor, our gratitude to the man who galvanised us into a Nation and got us a homeland. We have now the audacity of making it a ritual of paying hypocratic lip service on his death anniversaries and birthdays without scant regards to his  ideals. Shame be upon us!

Quaid e azam in governor general house.

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