The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 5
[ 5 ] Sir Ali Imam for reasons of health could not be present at more than one sitting. Thus, Mr. Shuaib Kureishy was left alone to represent the Moslem interests. The facts related above have been quoted from the Nehru-Report itself. As regards others of a more secret nature, I need take no notice. They are receiving due publicity at the hands of some Muslim Leaders. The facts I have chosen to advert to are sufficient for my pur pose. They are sufficient to prove that the Nehru Com mittee did not represent the whole of India. It consisted merely of a handful of men assembled at their own sweet will, most of them self-styled leaders. Neither were all the provinces represented, nor all the different communities. As an instance I might easily cite the case of our own community. Throughout these negotiations our community was never consulted although our com munity though small in number yet far exceeds the Parsees in numerical strength, and commands an All India status. We possess powerful organisations in at least three provinces, namely, Bengal, the Punjab and N. W. F. Provinces, in addition to a fairly big population in Behar, the U. P. , Madras, and Sindh ; while smaller numbers may be found aU over the country. Above all, we are an organised people, and yield not even to the foremost Hindu Associations in India in the matter of registered membership and organisation. The members of the All-Parties Conference will in vain plead that we are only a religious community. True, our community has the same platform both for religion and politics, and finds the arrangement more effective, but that is no reason why we should have been deprived of our legi. . . timate rights. But for the time, let us leave alone the case of our community. The actua1 work of the Nehru Committee began some where in 1928, some time after the Muslim League had