By Kaleem Ahmed Baloch
The Khan of Kalat on the 15th August, 1947, proclaimed the complete independence of his State after the Government of Pakistan recognized Kalat State as a sovereign and independent state. It was Friday and the same day the Khutba was read in his name at the beginning of the Friday prayers in the Jamia Mosque of Kalat as the independent ruler of the State. After the Friday prayers were over the traditional flag of the State in green over red colour and the crescent and star in the centre was hoisted on the wall of the court yard of the Mosque with Kalma Tuyyaba inscribed inside and the shape modified from rectangular to oblong with the apex in the front. After the prayers the Khan addressed the residents of Kalat who had gathered in large numbers as the occasion required in a lengthy speech expressing his determination to achieve three important objectives that he had been entertaining in his mind since a very long time.
1. Complete independence of the country from the foreign yoke
And domination.
2. Promulgation of Shariat Law with a constitution based on the
Injunctions of the Holy Quran as understood.
3. The unity of Baloch as a nation spread over a large part of
Asia in a large number numerically about hundred million.
And domination.
2. Promulgation of Shariat Law with a constitution based on the
Injunctions of the Holy Quran as understood.
3. The unity of Baloch as a nation spread over a large part of
Asia in a large number numerically about hundred million.
He further in his speech said that by the grace of Allah Almighty the first objective had been achieved and reiterated his
Intention that it would be maintained with the help of the people
As it was maintained during the past five hundred years since its
Inception in this very city. As regards the Shariat Law it is going to be promulgated as soon as possible and at the same time a Penal Code of a regular Criminal Law with the right appeal to upper courts is to be implemented. He further said that the third objective referred to required a great struggle spread over a long period of time to achieve. He thought that the difficulties in this respect appear to be great and must be over at any cost. He also referred to the Hindu community and expressed his determination to protect them as they were a part and parcel of nation and was glad they were protected during the roits which preceded and followed the partition of India. He also referred to the neighbouring countries and said our relation with them had been of a brotherly type since centuries and I would try my best to renew these brotherly relation with the hope that they would help us in our difficulties that we might face in future. Later he soon declared his first political reform of a parliament of two upper and lower houses in which he was to be the constitutional head as he was by custom and tradition under the unwritten constitution of the State. The upper house members consisted of tribal Sardars who automatically filled the seats without election and was called “Dewan-i-Khas”. The lower house members of “Dewan-i-Am” were to be elected on a limited franchise by the provincial (Subai) Jirga members of various towns from exclusively that element of the population who paid revenue to the state including those who were Muslims and Hindu traders.
The distribution of seats of member-ship was to be as follows :
Intention that it would be maintained with the help of the people
As it was maintained during the past five hundred years since its
Inception in this very city. As regards the Shariat Law it is going to be promulgated as soon as possible and at the same time a Penal Code of a regular Criminal Law with the right appeal to upper courts is to be implemented. He further said that the third objective referred to required a great struggle spread over a long period of time to achieve. He thought that the difficulties in this respect appear to be great and must be over at any cost. He also referred to the Hindu community and expressed his determination to protect them as they were a part and parcel of nation and was glad they were protected during the roits which preceded and followed the partition of India. He also referred to the neighbouring countries and said our relation with them had been of a brotherly type since centuries and I would try my best to renew these brotherly relation with the hope that they would help us in our difficulties that we might face in future. Later he soon declared his first political reform of a parliament of two upper and lower houses in which he was to be the constitutional head as he was by custom and tradition under the unwritten constitution of the State. The upper house members consisted of tribal Sardars who automatically filled the seats without election and was called “Dewan-i-Khas”. The lower house members of “Dewan-i-Am” were to be elected on a limited franchise by the provincial (Subai) Jirga members of various towns from exclusively that element of the population who paid revenue to the state including those who were Muslims and Hindu traders.
The distribution of seats of member-ship was to be as follows :
(1) Sarawan 6 (2) Jhalawan 6
(3) Kachhi 6 (4) Mekran 10
(5) Kalat proper 3 (6) Ulama 5
(7) Hindu traders 5 (8) Muslim traders 5
(9) Hindu nominated 1 (10) Muslim Member nominated 5.
(3) Kachhi 6 (4) Mekran 10
(5) Kalat proper 3 (6) Ulama 5
(7) Hindu traders 5 (8) Muslim traders 5
(9) Hindu nominated 1 (10) Muslim Member nominated 5.
Total number of seats were 52.
The ministers were to be selected by the Khan himself under his discretion and were responsible to the parliament and also to the Khan. The budget was to be Lower House had the upper hand as the income of the state came from that element of population which they represented. The elections were shortly held in early September, 1947 and Kalat State National Party was the over whelming majority of the seats in the Lower House (Diwan-i-Am).
After the declaration of independence the Khan sent his chief minister Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan and foreign minister Douglas H. Fell to Karachi in order to meet Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah the newly appointed Governor General of Pakistan for negotiations on the problems of Kalat State which was about leased areas. The Governor General referred them to Mr. Ikramullah the Secretary of the ministry of States and tribes for negotiations. When they raised the question of leased areas for a new treaty, they were told categorically that these areas were heritage to Pakistan and nothing was to be discussed about them. Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan and Douglas I. Fell had met Ikramullah Khan in September, 1947. In October, 1947 the Quaid-I-Azam invited the Khan to Karachi and advised him about the merger of State to Pakistan, but the Khan did nothing in the matter which continued to drag on. The first session of Diwan-i-Am, was held on 12th December, 1947 at Dhadar. First of all the members of the house who were honoured by the title of Aalijah took the oath of allegiance to the Khan of Kalat. The Khan in a short speech mentioned his sincere efforts for the organization of the Muslim League, doing service to the Quaid-i-Azam and providing funds for its movement in order to make it a great success. He further added that he had done a lot to make Pakistan movement popular. He said no doubt there were certain problems between us and the Muslim League leadership regarding which the people appeared to be restless. He assured them that there was no need for botheration on that account. He advised them to be patient and expressed his opinion that he and the Quaid-i-Azam had been friends since a long time and the problems would be solved amicably in a pleasant atmosphere. The important subject was the question of accession to Pakistan which had to be decided in one way or the other.
On 14th December, 1947 the next session of the Diwan-i-Am was held, at Dhadar, the important item on the agenda was the same of accession to Pakistan or not. Mr. Douglas I. Fell the foreign minister, opened the discussion by speaking in detail on the subject throwing light on the nature and implications of accession to Pakistan explaining the pros and cons of it and the gains and losses that it might contain. Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo, the leader of the parliamentary party belonging to Kalat State National Party opposed the motion vehemently. He argued that it was contrary to the interests of the State. By irony of fat when partition appeared to be remote he was strictly against the separation of Kalat State from the undivided India and termed it as ridiculous on the part of those who put forward the idea. He believed in the leadership of Congress which stood for democracy and democratic rights for the people of the states through out India. As a matter of fact he was instrumental in affiliating Kalat National Party to the States people Congress of India. He was at the time of view that separation from India brought about the domination of Sardars which was disliked and opposition to the sardari system was one of the cardinal principals of the political movement in Balochistan. Besides the British authorities very much depended on the Punjabi in the services and the Punjabis had been imported from Punjab and other provinces, non-locals in large number to fill all the posts in services and even for the posts of peons and chowkidar, the locals were not preferred. As such the question of local and non-local had much bearing on the politics in the province and it still persisted.
Previously the partition of India and the emergence of Pakistan appeared to be remote or even an impossibility. But presently after the advent of Pakistan it was looked upon as the domination of the Punjabis. The non-locals not only had the monopoly of jobs but they also were involved in all other professions such as trade etc and this being an economic matter which carried the locals to such extremes. Moreover, the Baloch by temperament were for away from religious begotery. As such the hollow slogans of Islam at stake could not impress their minds. It was under this back ground that the local political parties opposed the Pakistan Movement and it was due to the same consideration that Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo opposed the motion of accession of Kalat State to Pakistan during the sessions of Dewan_i_Am and when it was put to vote it was rejected point blank by the majority of the members and even they went a step farther and demanded the restoration of leased areas to Kalat State. The second session of the Dewan-i-Am was held on 25 February 1948 at Dhadar. The Chief Minister Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan made a lengthy speech before the house in favour of the accession of the Kalat State to Pakistan amd started explaining its advantages which were to be
Gained by it and the consequences in case the House rejected the proposal of accession he had put up before the Alija members of the House. He was toned down immediately by Alijah Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo who had been unanimously elected as the leader of the House on strength of his elected party members about 39 representative in a House of 52. Alijah Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo put up a resolution before the house as narrated below :
This session of the Dewan-i-Am, had fully considered the motion of accession of Kalat State to Pakistan and had gone through the draft of the Instrument of accession and had given its decision in the matter during the previous session of this house. Now this house once again decides to stand by its previous decision that Kalat State must remain as an independent State and should establish friendly relations with the Govt. of Pakistan. This House also decides that a delegation consisting of the representative of the Diwan-i-Khas, the Diwan-i-Am and Government of Kalat contact the Government of Pakistan and carry out with it negotiation according to its declaration of 11th August which gave recognition to the Kalat State as a sovereign and independent State.
After the declaration of independence the Khan sent his chief minister Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan and foreign minister Douglas H. Fell to Karachi in order to meet Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah the newly appointed Governor General of Pakistan for negotiations on the problems of Kalat State which was about leased areas. The Governor General referred them to Mr. Ikramullah the Secretary of the ministry of States and tribes for negotiations. When they raised the question of leased areas for a new treaty, they were told categorically that these areas were heritage to Pakistan and nothing was to be discussed about them. Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan and Douglas I. Fell had met Ikramullah Khan in September, 1947. In October, 1947 the Quaid-I-Azam invited the Khan to Karachi and advised him about the merger of State to Pakistan, but the Khan did nothing in the matter which continued to drag on. The first session of Diwan-i-Am, was held on 12th December, 1947 at Dhadar. First of all the members of the house who were honoured by the title of Aalijah took the oath of allegiance to the Khan of Kalat. The Khan in a short speech mentioned his sincere efforts for the organization of the Muslim League, doing service to the Quaid-i-Azam and providing funds for its movement in order to make it a great success. He further added that he had done a lot to make Pakistan movement popular. He said no doubt there were certain problems between us and the Muslim League leadership regarding which the people appeared to be restless. He assured them that there was no need for botheration on that account. He advised them to be patient and expressed his opinion that he and the Quaid-i-Azam had been friends since a long time and the problems would be solved amicably in a pleasant atmosphere. The important subject was the question of accession to Pakistan which had to be decided in one way or the other.
On 14th December, 1947 the next session of the Diwan-i-Am was held, at Dhadar, the important item on the agenda was the same of accession to Pakistan or not. Mr. Douglas I. Fell the foreign minister, opened the discussion by speaking in detail on the subject throwing light on the nature and implications of accession to Pakistan explaining the pros and cons of it and the gains and losses that it might contain. Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo, the leader of the parliamentary party belonging to Kalat State National Party opposed the motion vehemently. He argued that it was contrary to the interests of the State. By irony of fat when partition appeared to be remote he was strictly against the separation of Kalat State from the undivided India and termed it as ridiculous on the part of those who put forward the idea. He believed in the leadership of Congress which stood for democracy and democratic rights for the people of the states through out India. As a matter of fact he was instrumental in affiliating Kalat National Party to the States people Congress of India. He was at the time of view that separation from India brought about the domination of Sardars which was disliked and opposition to the sardari system was one of the cardinal principals of the political movement in Balochistan. Besides the British authorities very much depended on the Punjabi in the services and the Punjabis had been imported from Punjab and other provinces, non-locals in large number to fill all the posts in services and even for the posts of peons and chowkidar, the locals were not preferred. As such the question of local and non-local had much bearing on the politics in the province and it still persisted.
Previously the partition of India and the emergence of Pakistan appeared to be remote or even an impossibility. But presently after the advent of Pakistan it was looked upon as the domination of the Punjabis. The non-locals not only had the monopoly of jobs but they also were involved in all other professions such as trade etc and this being an economic matter which carried the locals to such extremes. Moreover, the Baloch by temperament were for away from religious begotery. As such the hollow slogans of Islam at stake could not impress their minds. It was under this back ground that the local political parties opposed the Pakistan Movement and it was due to the same consideration that Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo opposed the motion of accession of Kalat State to Pakistan during the sessions of Dewan_i_Am and when it was put to vote it was rejected point blank by the majority of the members and even they went a step farther and demanded the restoration of leased areas to Kalat State. The second session of the Dewan-i-Am was held on 25 February 1948 at Dhadar. The Chief Minister Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan made a lengthy speech before the house in favour of the accession of the Kalat State to Pakistan amd started explaining its advantages which were to be
Gained by it and the consequences in case the House rejected the proposal of accession he had put up before the Alija members of the House. He was toned down immediately by Alijah Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo who had been unanimously elected as the leader of the House on strength of his elected party members about 39 representative in a House of 52. Alijah Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bezenjo put up a resolution before the house as narrated below :
This session of the Dewan-i-Am, had fully considered the motion of accession of Kalat State to Pakistan and had gone through the draft of the Instrument of accession and had given its decision in the matter during the previous session of this house. Now this house once again decides to stand by its previous decision that Kalat State must remain as an independent State and should establish friendly relations with the Govt. of Pakistan. This House also decides that a delegation consisting of the representative of the Diwan-i-Khas, the Diwan-i-Am and Government of Kalat contact the Government of Pakistan and carry out with it negotiation according to its declaration of 11th August which gave recognition to the Kalat State as a sovereign and independent State.
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