The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 163
147 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN already looming ahead - differences between Pakistan and India over a host of matters, and the position of the Governor General under the new constitution would be that of the constitutional Head of government. A joint Governor General would be the constitutional Head of Pakistan and constitutional Head of India, and in each capacity would be bound to act on the advice of his Cabinet. As Governor General of Pakistan he would act on the advice of his Pakistan Cabinet; as Governor General of India he would act on the advice tendered by his India Cabinet. In case of serious differences, which, as I have said, were bound to arise, what would be his position? In Karachi, he would be the spokesman of the Cabinet of Pakistan, vis-a-vis India, and would presumably address a communication to himself in Delhi, in his position of Governor General of India, urging the Pakistan point of view, and then would go back to Delhi and send a reply to Karachi from Delhi, refuting what he had written from Karachi. That is the kind of thing that was bound to happen and he would not be able to carry on in that position for more than a week or a fortnight or on the outside for a month. That so experienced a parliamentarian as Mr. Attlee should have thought that this arrangement could have worked and should have made a grievance of the fact, that it had not been accepted by Mr. Jinnah, was indeed surprising. I was able to accomplish a little bit with regard to what His Highness the Nawab of Bhopal had in mind. The relevant clause of the Bill, which subsequently became the Indian Independence Act, relating to the Princes, provided that on the due date all treaties, engagements, etc. , between His Majesty and the Indian Princes would lapse and suzerainty would disappear, which meant, in effect, that the Princes would be independent and would be free to establish such relationship as they preferred with either or both dominions. The anxiety of His Highness the Nawab of Bhopal - he was then the Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, and in a sense acted also on behalf of the Princes - and of the Princes, was that it should be made quite clear that if they wanted to remain independent, they could remain independent, or they could accede to one dominion or the other, at their discretion. I got in touch with several of the leading statesmen in Britain when I went over, including Lord Templewood, who, as Sir Samuel Hoare, had been the Secretary of State for India during the crucial period, and now, as Viscount Templewood, was a member of the House of Lords. We discussed this matter back and forth, and he said he would try to do