The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 261
245 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN On the other hand, you knew that if you resigned, really the whole credentials of the Movement would have been sullied, I think. These must have been very difficult times. Zafrulla : There was no question of the credentials of the Movement being sullied in any way at all. Question : Well, it would really have been backing down in the face of. . . Zafrulla : So far as my resigning or not resigning was concerned, the Movement was not involved. It was just a question of principle. Another demand was that the Movement should be declared a non- Muslim minority. Question : That's is the important point, yes. Zafrulla : But even if they had so declared, it would have created some kind of difficulty for us, but that would not make us what we were not, if it came to that. The main thing was: they wanted to get rid of me. I do not think the Movement would have minded one way or the other what I did. Question : No, but you were the symbol. If they could get rid of you. . . Zafrulla : On the other hand the Movement might - I mean those concerned in the Movement - have felt, "Why does he not resign and make things easier for us?" Question : But it wouldn't have. By getting rid of the symbol then they could have gone on to the second point. Zafrulla : Yet, the following year I decided to resign, not on this issue - this issue had by that time subsided - but on another one. Question : What has been the position since that time? Is the agitation still remaining, still alive ? Zafrulla : Very spasmodically. In late September and early October of 1958 it was beginning to flare up in view of the impending elections under the then new Constitution. That again shows it was a political weapon. Even a person as sober as Chaudhri Mohammad Ali, having proclaimed that he would stand for election - his party had come to some understanding with the Jamat-i-Islami - one of the planks in his election platform was: It will be my effort to have the Ahmadis declared a non-Muslim minority. Within a week or so of his declaration, martial