A Page from History: Nehru—Liaqat Agreement

­­­­­­­When sir Stafford Cripps brought the British Government’s offer for freedom to Bharat, 1942, the main objection to it was the unreliability of Mr Churchill, who framed that formula. The ‘India National Congress’ rejected the offer, because it was not sure whether the British Govern ment, which was a Tory dominated coalition at the time, would fulfil the terms of the offer after winning the war. The same is the feeling of the whole country about Nehru Liaqat Agreement.
Crutches Not Legs
Even Pandit Nehru has not been able to disown this fear of his mind. He has tried to dispel it from his mind by recollecting the fact that Mr. Liaqat Ali is a man of his province and he and Shree Govind Vallabh Pant know him better than any body else in Bharat. He can be asked why this same man from his ‘own province’ could not pull on with him when he entered the Interim Government. Every intelligent man feels sorry for Panditji and the country of which he is the Prime Minister. This is not the first time that he has done so. Even his latest statement in the Parliament, in support of the agreement, provides instance of such weak arguments based on misleading facts, to prove the reliability of the Pakistan Government. Panditji has pointed out that while many previous agreements with Pakistan have not worked, some have undoubtedly succeeded, either partially or wholly. This statement is as misleading as mischievous. No major agreement has so far been fulfilled by the Pakistan Government.
Panditji has tried to soothe the feelings of the people who doubt the sincerity of the Pakistan Government, by referring to the composition and powers of the machinery to be set up under the agreement for carrying out its terms. This again is a poor consolation. Can any type of arrangement work if the intention of the Government and people concerned is not to work it sincerely? Was not a machinery created to rescue Hindu abducted women from West Pakistan? And yet the result of that machinery as announced by an eminent Government spokesman is a standing Warning against a facile satisfaction with paper proposals.
You Failed Before
The Congress Government along with Pandit Nehru is on trial. So far as the Punjab, Sindh, Kashmir and East Punjab affairs are concerned, their policies have proved an utter failure. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru has got a knack of making the people believe him. He enunciated a neat theory of the tragedy of January 30, 1948. He implicated innocents. But he went on repeating it and at one time almost all the world believed him. Now he seems to have decided to make the world believe that Pakistan is more honest and molt innocent than Hindus of Bharat. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru is the head of the Bharat Government. He is in a position to get his assertions printed, published, broadcast and even repeated through official and non-official agencies.
Facts and Fiction
He has yet another argument. People who consider his solution of the problem of Hindu exodus from Pakistan as incorrect are being dubbed as “war mongers,’ shoving thereby that he and people of his views are “peace makers”. (CENSOR'S SCISSORS) Much more harmful than the sub-missive policy of the Congress is the practice of distorting facts, and making well intentioned but wrong propaganda through baseless accusations against political opponents. Is the slandering of Hindus of Bharat the way to the greatness of Bharat?
Alternatives Here Are
Panditji, in the press conference after the announcement of the agreement said that there was no alternative to the agreement. So said Chamberlain after Munich Pact. Alternative was there at that time and an alternative is here now as well. The pursuit of the policy of appeasement at that time did precipitate war and the alternatives that could have avoided war remained unexplored.
Now that the ageeement has been entered into by the Government of the country, we are in honour bound to respect it as long as the other party abides by it. But who wilt judge whether Pakistan is fulfilling the obligations laid on it by the agreement or not? Surely it cannot be Pandit Ja-nahar Lal Nehru, who has already given Mr Liakat Ali on advance certificate of absolute sincerity. He can of course get his point of view accepted by his colleagues in the Cabinet and the party by threatening to resign. But will his policy succeed in bringing about a real change of bean on the other side of the border? And if it does not must the Nation keep satisfied with failure?                                                    -Vaidya Guru Dutt

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