An experiment in Dyarchy and it's failure continues.....

The Sheikh was duly sworn in as Head of the Emergency Administration. He took all the leading members of the National Conference including Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad and Mirza Afzal Beg in the administration and took up his residence in the Residency. He sent a message to me that I should carry on the administration of the Jammu province and he would do the same in the province of Kashmir. Within a few days of his assuming office, however, he started issuing ordinances on his own without the consent of His Highness. I objected em the ground that he did not possess the power to issue ordinance as the law-making power vested only in His Highness. Off and on I objected to his exercise of arbitrary powers, but usually I allowed him to do as he liked. Except in half a dozen cases which remained pending there was not much disagreement between us. The first clash between us arose on his issuing an order transferring the Governor of Jammu. I objected to the transfer on the ground that the proposal needed the sanction of His Highness.

The Sheikh got upset. Eventually to avoid an open breach I allowed the Governor to proceed to Srinagar. The Sheikh now issued an order that he was not to depart from Srinagar without his permission. The Sheikh not only tried to assume as much power as he could but started a press campaign to drive me out. A headline in a local paper of 15th December from Srinagar read. “Sheikh Abdulla demands full powers for his Ministry and asks that the appointment of Mr. Mehr Chand Mahajan be terminated.”

The Sheikh had organized a Kashmiri Volunteers Corps and requested Pandit Nehru to supply 303 rifles to them. Rifles were sent to the Commander of the Indian Forces located in the State. I had warned the Commander that these arms should not be handed over to the volunteers without his being satisfied that they would be able to use them and take care of them.

To be continued.....