The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 257
241 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN "Well, after all, you are not making it easy. You are doing this and that and people are provoked," it was found that he was absolutely off the mark. Something had been twisted in being represented to him. That became an element of weakness in the situation. Also, when the crucial time came, when the people became greatly excited and were getting out of hand, he got cold feet. Question : And the army finally had to come in. . . Zafrulla : The army had to be called in, and they came in but not by the decision of the Prime Minister. I had better mention this. After the meeting to which I have referred, which was made the starting point of the agitation, for several weeks I was out of the country. I believe I was here in New York. I had an invitation both from the Egyptian govern- ment and from the Iraqi government, to stay a couple of days at each capital on my way back. I had arrived from Cairo at Baghdad when our Ambassador there, Agha Mustafa, who met me at the airport, handed me a telegram from the Prime Minister saying, "You should not arrive in Karachi before the 2nd of February. " I was flabbergasted. If a Minister is away, out of the country, I can well understand the Prime Minister saying, "Now, hurry up, we need you here!" but I doubt whether it has ever happened that he has told you must not arrive before a certain date. He might be relieved of his portfolio for some prank that he might have played or for some fault, or because of some revolution that has taken place in his absence, but a Minister, who is still minister and apparently, is to continue, to be told do not arrive home before such-and-such a time, I could not make head or tail of. It also put me in a very embarrassing position. Fadhal Jamali of Iraq, the Foreign Minister, was a very good friend of mine. He had insisted that I should stay at least four days in Baghdad, and I had said, I had no time. I could not stay more than two days. Now this added two more days to my stay in Baghdad. What could I say to my host government? I said to our Ambassador, "This is very awkward. We had better arrange that I should go down to Najaf and Kerbala. " He said, "I have already told them you cannot stay in Baghdad for more than two days because you have to go down to Najaf and Kerbala. When you come back you can stay the last at the Embassy, which, incidentally, is a much more comfortable place than their guest house. " In those days, except for a few modern houses that had been built, Baghdad was still medieval.