Fazl-e-Umar — Page 164
Fazle Umar 164 the Muslim League might be bypassed in the formation of the Cabinet. This prospect seriously disturbed Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] who moved personally to Delhi and was instrumental in creating a situation, in consultation with Mr Jinnah and with the cooperation and assistance of His Highness the Nawab of Bhopal, in which the way was opened for the Muslim League to be invited to join the Interim Government on terms acceptable to Mr Jinnah. T H E C A b I n E T M I S SIO n , 1 9 4 6 In the spring of 1946, His Majesty’s Government sent out a Commission, com- posed of three members of the Cabinet, to India to try to bring about a settlement between the Congress and the Muslim League. The Commission became known as the Cabinet Mission. It worked hard and unsparingly, and in the middle of the summer put forward a plan which, to the surprise of everyone, was accepted by both parties. Prime Minister Nehru, who was also President of the Congress, had, however, second thoughts on some of the features of the plan and announced an interpretation of certain paragraphs of the plan which the language was not capable of bearing. Mr Jinnah was outraged by this subterfuge and announced that unless Mr Nehru made it plain beyond doubt that the Congress would work the Cabinet Mission Plan according to its plain and true import, the Muslim league would not join in working the Plan. Thereupon, the Governor General, Lord Wavell, sent for Mr Gandhi and Mr Nehru and tried hard to obtain from them the assurance that would satisfy Mr Jinnah. However, Mr Gandhi and Mr Nehru took up the position that it was for them to interpret the Plan and their interpretation must be accepted and given effect to. The situation again became deadlocked, and Prime Minister Attlee summoned Mr Nehru and Mr Jinnah to London towards the end of 1946 in the hope that he might be able to resolve the deadlock. But his hope proved vain and it became necessary to have recourse to some