The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 172
156 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN majority areas and contiguous to the rest of the Muslim bloc would form part of Pakistan. About the time when it was expected that the award would be announced, a communication was received by the then Governor of West Punjab, Sir Evans Jenkins, from Mr. Abel, subsequently Sir George Abel, the Private Secretary of the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, over the telephone, on the basis of two documents drawn up by Mr. Beaumont, Private Secretary to Sir Cyril Radcliffe, describing the boundary between West Punjab and East Punjab, one tracing it out on a map; the other describing it from village to village. The Governor was told that this was the award, and that it would be announced within 48 hours. The Governor was asked to take, in consultation with his Chief of Police, such measures as may be necessary to give effect to the award when it was announced. One has no doubt that a similar communication must have been made to Mr. Trivedi, who was Governor of East Punjab. No award was announced within 48 hours. As a matter of fact, the award was not announced till eight or ten days later. By that time Sir Cyril Radcliffe had left the subcontinent. The notes taken by Sir Evans Jenkins of the Communication made to him by Mr. Abel showed the two subdistricts of Ferozpur and Zira, as we had expected, part of West Punjab, and consequently of Pakistan. But when the award came out, eight or ten days later, these two subdistricts were put in India. No explanation has hitherto been furnished why this modification took place. I have before hazarded an explanation; I hazard it again for the purpose of this record. It seems to me that unless a clear and convincing explanation is forthcoming to displace this hypothesis, this is almost the only thing that could have happened. We must remember that at that date there was as yet no Pakistan and consequently no Pakistan government. There was only the Provisional Government of India of which Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister and head of government. Mr. Trivedi, the Governor of East Punjab, an ICS officer, was under the authority of the Provisional Government; so was Sir Evans Jenkins, the Governor of West Punjab. It stands to reason that when Mr. Trivedi received this Communication from Mr. Abel, the Viceroy's private secretary, he communicated its gist, probably through a personal visit, to the Prime Minister. The significance of the Ferozpur subdistrict going to Pakistan, was that it would include the headworks of the Satlej