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23-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
From the biography: How freedom fighter MC Davar tried to prevent the partition of India
MC Davar's first meeting with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Calcutta is not recorded, but in his interview to the NMML Davar recalls meeting the great leader a few years later in Dalhousie: It was 1938 and I went to Dalhousie and there Subhas Chandra Bose was staying as a guest of Dr Dharam Vir…I went to see Sardar Joginder Singh Mann, who became afterwards a Minister and Speaker of the Punjab Assembly. I had gone to treat his wife. Subhas Bose was there and he said: 'Dr Davar, I had wished long ago that you should stop your practice and take up the work which you were doing in Calcutta, that is revolutionary work. But today's revolutionary work, political activities and sufferings of all of us are going waste due to the simple reason that Muslim League comes in the way, and so why should we not devote all our time for unity of Hindus and Muslims?' Dr Davar replied: 'The task is very difficult, moreover this requires a great deal of patience.' But [Bose] said: 'I know your capacity and the way you are tackling the problems…I wish you could leave the practice or depend only on your practice for a few hours to earn your bread, and devote all your time to Hindu-Muslim unity, and especially Congress-Muslim League understanding.' This conversation with Subhas Bose made a deep impact on young Davar's mind. As the new year began, he met Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, the Liberal leader who exactly ten years ago at the Calcutta session of the Congress, presided over by Motilal Nehru, had made a brave attempt to reconcile the differences between the Congress and Muslim League over the provisions of the 'Nehru Report'. The All India Parties Conference of 1927 had authorised Motilal Nehru to prepare a report on the Constitution of free India that would address the concerns of the Muslims in a country with a dominant Hindu population. But the report was rejected by the Muslim League, and an early opportunity, two decades before independence, for keeping India united was lost. The Muslim League's demand for the partition of India and the carving out of a separate Muslim country grew stronger and louder. When the now 26-year-old Davar met Tej Bahadur Sapru in Delhi, where he now lived after spending almost eight years in Calcutta during and after his Homoeopathy studies, he suggested to the veteran leader that he should call another All Parties Conference, like the one in 1927 which had resulted in the Nehru Report. Things might turn out differently this time. Initially hesitant, on health grounds, Sapru finally gave in to Davar's persuasion, and agreed to call an All Parties Conference. Meanwhile, the Aga Khan came to Delhi and met Sir Mohammed Yakub, the Deputy Chairman of the Central Assembly, and later Commerce Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council. Dr Davar received a message from Yakub that he was unwell and wanted homoeopathic treatment as by now, through word of mouth, many eminent people had come to know that Dr Davar was 'the best' homoeopath in Delhi. When the Doctor was examining his patient, the latter said: 'Dr Davar, why should you not do anything for the country? His Highness the Aga Khan came to me yesterday. He was feeling miserable that people are not united here. I'm suffering from fever but just talking to you I'm getting much relief. Why don't you take up this work?' To Davar's answer that he had decided 'to do his humble bit', Yakub replied, 'You can do much more, you have better capacity to do it.' Davar told Mohammed Yakub: 'Then with your blessings and His Highness Aga Khan's blessings, and also as advised by my leader, Netaji Subhas Bose, I will take up this work.' Yakub then advised Davar to go to Lahore and meet Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, the then Prime Minister of Punjab who was totally against the partition of the country. Yakub also gave him a letter of introduction to the Punjab premier. This was the beginning of the year 1940. After his meeting with Mohd. Yakub Khan, Davar left for Lahore the very next day by Frontier Mail. So passionate was he to the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity – the only way, he felt, the partition of the country could be prevented – that he didn't care that he was leaving his newly married wife, Lila Vati (not Dr Lilavati, whom he had met earlier in Calcutta), alone in their rented flat in Connaught Place. But fortunately for Lila Vati, she had parents residing in Karol Bagh, which was not far from the couple's flat. It was a biting cold morning, in the first week of February 1940, when Davar reached Lahore railway station. After a bath at the residence of his cousin Chaman Lal, he went straight to the bungalow of Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan. Before he could hand him the letter of introduction given by Mohd. Yakub, Hayat Khan said, 'Don't bother about the letter, I know the purpose of your coming here.' Obviously Mohd. Yakub had telephoned Hayat Khan about Davar's mission at his instance. As Davar was about to begin talking, the brother-in-law of the Punjab premier, Mir Maqbool Mahmud, the brain behind the Unionist Party, arrived and joined the talks. In a lighter vein, Hayat Khan told his brother-in-law, 'Look, Maqbool, Davar has left Punjab, and with it, Punjabi too.' Davar told him this had happened because of the influence of the cosmopolitan culture of Delhi, where one gets used to speaking more in Hindustani or English. But for the remaining conversation, he spoke in Punjabi. Davar presented 26 points against Partition, one of which read: If Pakistan comes into being, it is not the Hindus only who will suffer, but the Muslims will suffer much more, and along with Muslims, naturally, India will suffer and, along with India, the whole of Asia will suffer, and one day Pakistan will become a danger to world peace. When Davar was on the 13th point, Maqbool interrupted and said, 'Dr Sahib, there is no need to go further. We have fully understood your views and appreciate the points you have enumerated here.' Sikandar Hayat told Davar to convey to Sir Mohd. Yakub and the Aga Khan that 'Punjab will remain for all Punjabis – Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. As long as Sikandar lives, there will be no Pakistan; no partition of Punjab. And if no partition of Punjab takes place, there will be no Pakistan…Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and all others will enjoy equal opportunities, all are my own kith and kin, we Punjabis cannot be divided.' After a week, Sikandar Hayat came to Delhi, where Sir Mohd Yakub and Davar met him and the three of them had a long discussion at the end of which Sir Sikandar repeated his pledge: 'Jab tak Sikandar ke dum me dum hai, koi partition nahi hoga. (As long as Sikander breathes, there will be no partition.)' But soon after he returned to Lahore, an extremely violent incident took place in which many Muslims were killed in a clash with the police who were trying to prevent them from forcibly taking over a Gurudwara. The situation thus became tense just before the Muslim League session was to take place. This was the session in which Muhammad Ali Jinnah had planned to pass the famous 'Lahore Resolution' demanding Pakistan. But he knew that the Punjab premier was strongly opposed to the demand. However, the Gurudwara incident had adversely affected Sikandar Hayat's image, and Jinnah grabbed this opportunity. Through his emissaries, he managed to have the Punjab leader attend the session. Once there, Sikandar Hayat was asked to second the resolution for Pakistan moved by Fazlul Haq, Vice President of the Muslim League of Bengal. In the charged atmosphere of the session, it became impossible for Sikandar Hayat to decline, and he stood up only to say, 'I second the resolution.' He did not say a word after that and immediately left the meeting. Davar met Sikandar at Shimla a month later and asked him point blank: 'Sir Sikandar, what have you done?' The Punjab premier replied: 'What could I have done when the situation was such? The whole Muslim community would have risen in revolt if I had not spoken. But I assure you again that I will honour my pledge made earlier.' When Hayat Khan returned to Lahore, he was invited to speak at the Islamia College. There, true to his word to Davar, he spoke passionately against Partition, and warned that if Pakistan came into existence, Muslims would suffer much more than any other community. His speech came as a great relief to all his followers and admirers, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs alike. But the Lahore Resolution of the Muslim League created an atmosphere that led to the widening of the already growing Hindu-Muslim differences. Excerpted with permission from He Almost Prevented Partition: The Life and Times of Dr MC Davar, Praveen Davar, Speaking Tiger Books.
Business Recorder
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PTI denounces US strikes on Iran
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vehemently denounced the US strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities and urged the government to immediately convene an All Parties Conference (APC) to thoroughly deliberate on the rapidly deteriorating regional situation and formulate a consensus-based and clear-cut policy on belligerent Israel, pushing the entire region to the brink of a devastating war. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a statement on Sunday, expressed alarm that the regional situation was fast changing and the government's ostrich-like approach could prove disastrous. He emphasised that the current policy of burying heads in the sand and hoping the storm will pass is futile, as the flames of war have already reached Pakistan's doorstep. He underlined that Pakistan can undoubtedly weather the storm, just as it did against India, but the power elites must take the nation into confidence and forge a consensus-driven approach because Pakistan is currently caught between a rock and a hard place. He criticised the government for its 'habit of flattery', which he said now had crossed our national boundaries and it is now visible internationally. He pleaded that Israel could not have invaded Iran without the strong backing and support of the US. He said that the US has not only violated Iran's sovereignty but also breached the UN Charter. He maintained that the excuse for the Israeli attack on Iran was even more absurd than India's recent strike on Pakistan under the pretext of the Pahalgam attack. He said that the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a blatantly contradictory and biased approach towards the Muslim world in its pursuit of nuclear capability, while remaining conspicuously silent about Israel's widely acknowledged nuclear arsenal. He demanded that the UN and OIC urge the IAEA to inspect Israel's nuclear sites and work toward a nuclear-free Middle East, rather than targeting Iran under false pretexts—just as was done with Iraq—despite the IAEA's repeated and clear stance that Tehran is nowhere near acquiring a nuclear weapon. Waqas added that Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes. He called for the immediate release of PTI Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan and his inclusion in strategic decision-making regarding the situation arising from Israel's unprovoked attack on Iran and the subsequent US strikes on the country. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Indian hostilities: JI chief urges govt to convene APC
LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman on Tuesday urged the government to convene an All Parties Conference (APC) in response to Indian hostilities, saying that his party would take the initiative if the government fails to act. Talking to reporters at Mansoora, Rehman criticized the mainstream ruling and opposition parties for not condemning US on its support to Israeli hostilities in Gaza. 'PML-N, PPP, and PTI shy away from condemning Washington. They are locked in a competition to win America's blessings,' he remarked. He said Nawaz Sharif is not speaking against India and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is busy courting the United States. Rehman slammed the government for approving massive salary increases for ministers via presidential ordinances ahead of the upcoming budget. 'The salaried class, small farmers, and common citizens are being squeezed to reward already privileged elite. Despite the government's claims of economic improvement, the public remains unaffected,' he said. Government, he said, should grant tax exemptions on monthly salaries of up to Rs120,000. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Khawaja Asif warns of potential Indian strike along LoC amid soaring tensions
Listen to article Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday cautioned that India could carry out a military strike at any moment along the Line of Control (LoC), as diplomatic and security tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations escalate following the Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir. 'There are reports that India may strike at any point along the LoC… New Delhi will be given a befitting reply,' he told reporters in Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an international commission to probe the incident. 'Such a probe would expose whether India itself or any internal group was involved, and clarify the truth behind New Delhi's baseless allegations,' Asif said. The minister accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'pushing the region to the brink of nuclear war' for political gains and repeated Pakistan's longstanding allegations of Indian involvement in terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan. 'We had provided the UN with evidence in 2016 and 2017, including videos of India financing terrorism,' he claimed. He also linked the recent wave of terror in K-P and Balochistan to groups operating from Afghanistan, allegedly backed by India. Asif further questioned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's absence from a key security briefing a day earlier, saying, 'I don't know why PTI chose not to participate.' He added that both parliamentary houses have passed resolutions on the crisis, and parties are free to call an All Parties Conference if they choose.
Express Tribune
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Sherpao backs APC, urges national unity
The Qaumi Watan Party Chairman, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, has welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's decision to convene an All Parties Conference (APC), describing it as a positive and timely initiative. He emphasized the importance of such forums, particularly in the context of rising terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Speaking to the media in Tehsil Tangi, Sherpao said that the prevailing national situation calls for unity and collective resolve, rather than political point-scoring. "This is a time for national cohesion and solidarity — not individual freedoms — so that peace and stability can be restored," he said. Addressing recent developments, Sherpao condemned India's unilateral actions following the Kashmir incident, stating that decisions made without credible evidence are unacceptable. He noted that Pakistan stands united on the Kashmir issue, while internal divisions persist within India. He also strongly criticized the Modi government's treatment of Kashmiris and called on the international community to raise its voice against these injustices. Sherpao rejected India's threats to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty and cut Pakistan's water supply, calling such actions intolerable. "The Pakistani nation has always stood shoulder to shoulder with its armed forces, and it will continue to do so," he said. He urged the Muslim world to unite and take decisive action against the oppression of Muslims in Kashmir and Palestine, stating that mere resolutions from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are no longer sufficient. "We do not seek war with India," Sherpao added, "but third-party mediation is essential to de-escalate tensions. War would be disastrous for both nations." He warned, however, that if India provokes conflict, Pakistan's military response would be decisive and beyond India's expectations.
