The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 152
136 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN protection and the safeguarding of their interests than the majority was, such support may be more hopefully looked for from the minorities. The allegations that have frequently been made after partition and after independence that in the later stages of the struggle it was the British Government which was putting up the Muslim League, especially after the claim for Pakistan was put forward, or that it was in any sense backing them, are utterly unfounded. The best refutation of that charge is the fact that, as I have already mentioned, from the middle of August, 1945 - during the crucial period of the last two years - the Labour Party was in power and the Labour Party had never been sympathetic towards the Muslim League, but had always been extremely sympathetic towards the Congress. Mr. Attlee did all he could and went as far as he could to preserve the unity of India and to safeguard it against being divided. It was under that desire and hope that he sent the Cabinet Mission, composed of Lord P. Lawrence, who was Secretary of State for India; Sir Stafford Cripps, who was Lord Privy Seal; and Mr. Alexander, who was First Lord of the Admiralty, to India to secure acceptance of a federal plan for an independent India. They did a first-class job and to the gratified surprise of everybody, they did bring a settlement about between the two political parties which would have maintained the political unity of India on a federal basis, with a choice, at the end of 10 years, to be exercised only once, that the two Muslim majority zones in the federation could legislate themselves out of the federation and become independent if they were not satisfied with the manner in which the federation was working. It is much to be regretted that the plan after being accepted was sabotaged by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's announcement within a few weeks, putting an interpretation upon certain paragraphs of the plan, which those paragraphs were utterly incapable of bearing. Question : In February-March, 1945, you went to Great Britain to attend the Commonwealth Relations Conference. Could you tell us something about that, its particular significance at that particular time as far as India was concerned ? Khan : The British Commonwealth Relations Conference of 1945 was held in London at Chatham House, the headquarters of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 10 St. Jame's Square, during February and March, 1945. I had the honour of leading the Indian delegation to that conference. I had been the first President of the Indian Institute of